Timothy was a Chosen Protégé

Scripture: Philippians 2:23-24

Therefore I hope to send him immediately, as soon as I see how things go with me; and I trust in the Lord that I myself also will be coming shortly.

Insights: The short form of verses twenty-three and twenty-four is just as you read it.  Paul is sending Timothy to the church of Philippi as soon as he has confirmation that he himself will not be released.  Yet, Paul still holds hope in his eventual release and his desire to return to Philippi at that time.  I want to run a little different line with you today regarding these two verses.  I believe the implication I am proposing has been evident throughout verses twenty through twenty-four, but I wish to point them out now.  The reason Paul has confidence in sending Timothy to this church facing so many problems is because Timothy is Paul’s son in the faith.  We even mentioned that yesterday.  I think it appropriate to go a little further regarding that statement and idea.  Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul chose Timothy to be his protégé.  Paul invested and mentored Timothy and helped him grow into the spiritual leader he is at this point.  Twenty-four times Timothy is mentioned in Paul’s letters.  He was faithful in every assignment in which God placed him through Paul.  Timothy was not just thrown into this role of church revitalizer.  He was trained and disciplined along the way.  He was Paul’s disciple in the faith.  Beloved, this one point is possibly one of the greatest failings of the modern church.  If we go back to the great commission found in Matthew twenty eight.  We find Jesus telling us to make disciples of all nations, not just converts of all nations.  We ought to be about investing our lives into other people.  We need to grow them and mature them, even as we are growing a maturing.  Are we going to do it perfectly?  Absolutely not!  We are going to make mistakes with the individuals with whom God has entrusted us to mentor, but we are to mentor them none the less.  Are the individuals with whom we invest going to mess up and disappoint us?  Absolutely!  And in those moments we get the privilege of showing them the restorative grace in which the Lord frequently shows us.  Beloved, we must not falter at this point.  We must make disciples!  We must mentor people in the faith.  We must strengthen the Body of Christ as the Lord equips us to do so and if we are born again, we are called to make disciples.

Questions:

1. Who have been the men and women that have most influenced your spiritual pilgrimage?
2. In whose life are you investing?

Prayer: Father, thank You so much for the men and women You have placed in my life to grow and mature me.  May I also know the joy of investing in others’ lives.  Amen.