Swindoll Study Bible and Searching the Scriptures - Flipbook - Page 18
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P hilippians 3 : 4
P E O P L E
P R O F I L E S
Timothy
A MAN OF SINCERITY
Q U I C K FA C T S
WHAT WAS TIMOTHY LIKE? A brief comment in Paul’s letter to
>> SETTING Lystra, Ephesus
the church at Philippi offers a glimpse of what Paul thought of
>> OCCUPATIONS Missionary, pastor
Timothy (Phil. 2:19-22). Here the apostle identifies three char>> RELATIVES Grandmother: Lois; Mother:
acteristics as being particularly noteworthy in his protégé’s life.
Eunice; Father: a Greek
First, Timothy had a uniquely kindred spirit with Paul.
“I have no one else like Timothy,” Paul writes (Phil. 2:20).
KEY LESSONS
Timothy and Paul were closer than family. They were like-
>> Our inadequacies and inabilities should
minded, with hearts that beat virtually as one. When the
not keep us from being available to God.
older man (Paul) sent the younger (Timothy) on a fact-finding
>> Leadership is God’s call to serve rather
mission, Paul could rely on the report as if he’d brought it
than to be served.
back himself. It almost seems as if neither had to work hard
at the relationship. Things flowed smoothly and naturally
LEARN MORE
between them. It wasn’t forced. They shared a deep spiritual
Timothy’s story is told in Acts 16:1-5;
20:16; and in the letters of 1 and
bond as well, based on a common love for and commitment
2 Timothy. He is also mentioned in
to the Lord Jesus Christ. Together they served Him whose
Romans 16:21; 1 Corinthians 4:17;
gospel they lived and loved to proclaim.
16:1011; 2 Corinthians 1:1, 19;
Second, Timothy had a genuine concern for others. Paul’s
Philippians 1:1; 2:19-23; Colossians 1:1;
testimony about Timothy opens a window for us into the
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; 2:3-4; 3:2-6;
young man’s makeup. When Timothy was with others, their
Philemon 1:1; and Hebrews 13:23.
needs sincerely touched his heart. I imagine he was a man
who listened empathetically, loved deeply, and responded actively. Compassionate individuals
are rare these days, but they were hard to find in the first century as well. See what Paul writes?
“All the others care only for themselves and not for what matters to Jesus Christ” (Phil. 2:21). So
similar to today, isn’t it? Timothy seemed one of those rare exceptions who could look beyond
himself and see others—really see them. Timothy modeled what Paul urges his readers to do
elsewhere in this same letter: “Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look
out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too” (Phil. 2:3-4). That described
Timothy. No wonder Paul felt so close to him. Friendships like that remind us of the importance of
coming alongside one another with a genuinely caring, unselfish, and openhanded attitude.
Third, Timothy had a servant’s heart. Timothy had “proved himself” in the work of the gospel
(Phil. 2:22). In the same verse, Paul says Timothy had served like a child serving with his father.
Question: How can one grown man serve on behalf of another grown man “like a son with his
father”? Answer: One word—servanthood. In our competitive world, the hard-charging, t ough-
minded, s tatus-conscious people scramble to make it to the top. They are willing to wield the
power—and woe to those who get in the way. Not so with Timothy. He conformed to Jesus’
model of leadership: “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and
whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else” (Mark 10:43-44).
Timothy was a servant leader. He didn’t strut his stuff. He didn’t demand his due. Like his friend
and mentor the apostle Paul, Timothy was a servant of all. By sending Timothy to the people
of Philippi, Corinth, or Ephesus, Paul knew that he was, in effect, sending himself. He had no
anxiety over how the young man might handle some knotty problem he encountered. Paul
didn’t give even a passing thought that Timothy might throw his weight around. Timothy would
never say, “As Paul’s right-hand man, I insist you listen up!” The aging apostle could rest easy.
Timothy was the man for the job. Paul must have smiled when the two finally waved good-bye.
Friends like Timothy relieve life’s pressure and enable us to sit back and give thanks to the Lord
for placing them in our lives. They bring a vast measure of joy into life’s journey. They are rare.