In our last visit we developed an outline, giving an historical sketch of the life of Timothy based on the information we gathered from the New Testament. Now let’s amplify the outline.
The first point was: His early life in Lystra. On Paul’s first visit to Lystra he found some Jewish people who knew the Old Testament scriptures well. Among them were Eunice and Lois, the mother and grandmother of Timothy. Under Paul’s ministry all three were converted, thus Timothy became Paul’s son in the Lord. Like Paul he had a foundational understanding of God’s Word which now became the basis of his new found faith in Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
Timothy’s Greek father did not have Timothy circumcised, and since he is not mentioned most interpreters presume he had died before Paul’s visit.
By the time Paul arrived at Lystra on his second missionary journey Timothy had demonstrated a solid commitment in his walk and was highly respected by the church. Paul was impressed as well and invited him to join his team and travel with him and Silas. He had him circumcised to counter any criticism Jewish believers might raise, since his mother was Jewish. Though still young, about in his early twenties, he was prepared for what he would face in the days ahead of him.
Not everyone going into ministry has as much going for them as Timothy did. He was well grounded in God’s Word, genuinely committed to Christ and living out that commitment in a way that gave the church and Paul confidence he would be mightily used of God in ministry.
