From
Acts to Revelation
Part
42 – Timothy
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House
of Faith Church | www.PS127.org
| www.TruthDigest.org
INTRODUCTION
As you remember last week, Paul and
Barnabas argued over taking Mark on the second mission trip. Mark, who had
abandoned Paul and Barnabas in the middle of the first mission trip, became a
disagreement that could not be mended.
Barnabas decided to take Mark, and left on
a mission trip and is not mentioned again in the Book of Acts.
Paul, on the other hand, took Silas, who
had stayed and trained with Paul for the last year, and continued on the second
mission trip he was called to by the Holy Spirit.
In Paul and Silas' travels, they will come
across a Godly man named Timothy, who the Holy Spirit has presented to Paul for
training. A believer and Disciple of Jesus Christ, Paul takes Timothy with him
on this mission trip.
Along the way, Paul, Silas and now Timothy,
are prevented from preaching the Gospel in Asia by the Holy Spirit, and have to
travel to Troas instead.
In today's scripture, we will see;
1) How God continues
to provide, replacing one rebellious Barnabas with two disciples to aid Paul in
his second mission trip.
2) How Timothy was
brought into the fold of ministry
3) most importantly,
how Paul, one of the greatest New Testament writers (writing nearly half of the
New Testament!) did not attack sinners, did not attack those without
understanding, but tried to build bridges, so that they would come to Christ,
and grow spiritually. He did this by doing everything in his power NOT TO
OFFEND SINNERS AND THOSE WITHOUT FULL UNDERSTANDING.
This is a completely different approach
than most take today, thinking that standing your ground for the faith means
brow beating others into submission.
Paul did the opposite, obeying food laws
when visiting Jews (although he knew he did not have to, and that it was not a
requirement in Christ), talking with Pagan's who were idol worshipers, instead
of attacking them and telling them they were all going to hell, and in today's
scripture, having Timothy circumcised, because his father was a non-believer,
but his mother was a Jew, this would allow Timothy to be taken seriously among
the Jewish people he would be preaching to.
There is a higher good that Paul, and
others like Christ, put before everything else, and that is reaching the people
so that they may have understanding, and receive salvation, and spiritual
growth.
Ask yourself, How many sinners have come to
Christ because of Westboro? How many came to Christ through Paul's method?
The scriptures attribute thousands and
thousands to Paul, which is by far greater than anything Westboro has done with
their propagation and misrepresentation of God's hate for the lost, which is in
direct contradiction to the Word of God;
the Son of Man came to seek and
to save the lost.
- Luke 19:10
For God did not send his Son
into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. - John 3:17
But God demonstrates his own
love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died
for us.
- Romans 5:8
We could ask the same of ourselves. Are you
tearing sinners, and those without understanding down, or are you building
bridges to understanding like Paul and Christ did?
Are you misrepresenting God by preaching
His hate, or rightly representing Him showing sinners love, as Christ did?
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE
Acts 16:1-8
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.
6 Paul
and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and
Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in
the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter
Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they
passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.
I.
TIMOTHY JOINS PAUL AND SILAS
a. Timothy
was a Disciple from Lystra
b. His
mother was a Jew, but his father was a Greek (non-believer)
i.
Textually speaking, the scripture makes
point that Timothy and his mother are followers of Christ, while his father is
described as a Greek, or non-believer in Christ.
c. Believer's
in Lystra and Iconium speak highly of Timothy
i.
He is obviously a real-follower, with many
speaking well of him
II.
THE HIGHER GOOD
a. Paul,
lead by the Holy Spirit, wanted to take Timothy on the second mission trip
i.
Scholars agree, that this second missionary
trip will have a greater effect on civilization than anything that has ever
happened, other than the first advent of Christ.
b. So he
had Timothy circumcised
i.
One may ask, why? Didn't the Apostles and
Elders in Jerusalem just write a letter one year earlier saying that it was not
necessary for a Gentile to follow the Laws and be circumcised to receive
salvation in Christ?
a.
True. However, this was wisdom on Paul's
part, led by the Holy Spirit.
b.
Timothy, having a Jewish mother, and trying
to reach other Jews, it would be a stumbling block for other Jews to listen to
anything a non-circumcised Jew had to say. Timothy was not considered a
Gentile, but a Jew.
ii.
Paul would do all he could to appease
people, but not at the expense of compromising the gospel.
a.
Just because one does not openly condemn
another, does not necessarily mean that they are condoning a sin.
b.
Think of when you first came to Christ, and
all of the sins you still had in your life. If God was to condemn you instead
of grow you, you would still be lost, and never receive salvation. But instead,
salvation is not based on anything you do, but through Grace, which is afforded
you because of Christ.
c.
We must seek understanding so that we can
grow spiritually.
c. They
then traveled delivering the decision reached by the Apostles and Elders in
Jerusalem, on the matter of Gentiles having to obey the commandments of Moses,
and be circumcised to receive Salvation in Christ.
d. The
churches were strengthened in faith, and grew daily in numbers
i.
Many were being saved, and the number being
added was not to a building, but rather the Body of Christ, which is the body
of believers. That is the church.
III.
THE HOLY SPIRIT GUIDE
a. The
Holy Spirit continued to guide Paul's mission trip
b. They
traveled through Phrygia and Galatia
i.
Which probably took several months
c. The
Holy Spirit stopped them from preaching in the Asia province
i.
This refers to an area now known as
northwestern Turkey.
ii.
While the Holy Spirit definitely wanted the
gospel to go here, there was another place He wanted it to go first.
d. When
they came to Mysia, they tried to enter Bithyina, but the Spirit of Jesus would
not allow them.
i.
The door was closed to this area as well.
e. So they
traveled to Troas.
i.
Which they would find also closed, as the
Holy Spirit continued to lead them to the destination where god wanted the
Gospel preached next.
CONCLUSION
As we can see from the scripture today, sometimes in our journey's
we will know we are being led by the Holy Spirit, yet run into closed door
after closed door.
This is what happened to Paul, Silas and Timothy, as they travel
from Asia province, to Mysia, Bithynia and then Troas.
It was not because the Holy Spirit was not leading them, but
rather, there was another destination more important that they had to reach.
We also see the “Higher Good” that Paul lived by, as Christ did.
We could ask ourselves. Are you tearing
sinners, and those without understanding down, or are you building bridges to
understanding like Paul and Christ did?
Are you misrepresenting God by
preaching His hate, or rightly representing Him showing sinners love, as Christ
did?
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