Scripture Reference: Philippians 2:19-30
Timothy – Continued
Please read Philippians 2:19-24 for background to this section.
Notice the characteristics of this young man:
He had a servant’s mind (verses 19–21). To begin with, Timothy naturally cared for people and was concerned about their needs. He was not interested in “winning friends and influencing people;” he was genuinely interested in their physical and spiritual welfare. Paul was concerned about the church at Philippi and wanted to send someone to convey his concern and get the facts. There were certainly hundreds of Christians in Rome (Paul greets twenty-six of them by name in Romans 16); yet not one of them was available to make the trip! “All seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:21). In a very real sense, all of us live either in Philippians 1:21 or Philippians 2:21!
But Timothy had a natural concern for the welfare of others; he had a servant’s mind. It is too bad that the believers in Rome were so engrossed in themselves and their own internal wranglings (Philippians 1:15–16) that they had no time for the important work of the Lord. This is one of the tragedies of church problems; they divert time, energy, and concern away from the things that matter most. Timothy was not interested in promoting any party or supporting any divisive cause. He was interested only in the spiritual condition of God’s people, and this concern was natural to him. How did this concern develop? The answer is in the next characteristic of this remarkable young man.
He had a servant’s training (verse 22). Paul did not add Timothy to his “team” the very day the boy was saved. Paul was too wise to make an error like that. He left him behind to become a part of the church fellowship in Derbe and Lystra, and it was in that fellowship that Timothy grew in spiritual matters and learned how to serve the Lord. When Paul returned to that area a few years later, he was happy to discover that young Timothy “was well spoken of by the brethren” (Acts 16:2). Years later, Paul would write to Timothy about the importance of permitting new converts to grow before thrusting them into important places of ministry (1 Timothy 3:6–7).
The story is told of a popular local nightclub performer who visited a pastor and announced that he had been saved and wanted to serve the Lord. “What should I do next?” he asked.
“Well, I’d suggest you unite with a good church and start growing,” the pastor replied. “Is your wife a Christian?”
“No, she isn’t,” the musician replied. “I hope to win her. But, do I have to wait? I mean, I’d like to do something for God right now.”
“No, you don’t have to wait to witness for the Lord,” explained the pastor. “Get busy in a church, and use your talents for Christ.”
“But you don’t know who I am!” the man protested. “I’m a big performer, everybody knows me. I want to start my own organization, make records, and appear before big crowds!”
“If you go too far too fast,” warned the pastor, “you may hurt yourself and your testimony. And the place to start winning people is right at home. God will open up places of service for you as He sees you are ready. Meanwhile, study the Bible and give yourself a chance to grow.”
The man didn’t take the pastor’s counsel. Instead, he set up a big organization and started out on his own. His “success” lasted less than a year. Not only did he lose his testimony because he was not strong enough to carry the heavy burdens, but his constant traveling alienated him from his wife and family. He drifted into a “fringe group” and disappeared from public ministry, a broken and bankrupt man.
“His branches went out farther than his roots went deep,” the pastor said. “When that happens, you eventually topple.”
To Be Continued
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD 
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