Timothy In The House

Written by Zhey Chua |Posted on March 2, 2009 | Comments

Whenever my husband is in the company of our pastor and his mentor, I see Timothy. A beloved son, a student of God’s Word, a disciple, a young man who is being tempered and molded for a purpose that which only God knows.

Last night, we were invited for coffee at Starbucks and there he was, right between Pastor Ponz (our pastor) and Dr. Supan (his mentor) and in my mind I was thinking that this was probably how Timothy looked like whenever he was in the company of Paul – a young kid eager to learn, sincere in his faith, passionate about the Word, deeply in love with Christ.

In 2 Timothy 1:4, Paul tells Timothy that he yearns to be with him so that he may be filled with joy and perhaps, also to give Timothy renewed encouragement, Timothy is obviously going through persecutions himself as implied in Paul’s remembrance of his tears and then the following verses in which Paul reminds Timothy “to fan into flame the gift of God” (2 Timothy 1:6). He also tells Timothy to “follow the pattern of the sound words” which were imparted to him (2 Timothy 1:13), to not be ashamed of the testimony of the Lord (2 Timothy 1:8), to be strengthened by Christ’s grace (2 Timothy 2:1), to share in the suffering of the Lord (2 Timothy 2:3) and of how those who endure will reign with Christ (2 Timothy 2:11-12).

Those passages remind me of the times Warren would be discouraged, those moments he would be so downcast and suddenly unsure of the path he is taking and those instances when he would beg the Lord for answers – what is His plan for him? Where is He taking him? Why is He doing this to him? Who are these people He is bringing into his life? When is it ever going to happen, if He really intends for it to happen anyway? Why is he being hated by the people he loves the most because he preaches Christ to them? And so on… And just like Timothy perhaps, here is a young man whose passion for God has brought him to a land that he never dreamed he would walk, a life he never thought he would live, people he never imagined he would meet and yes, difficulties in life he never knew existed, and suddenly had to face.

Paul’s letter charges Timothy to remain steadfast; he also illustrates to his beloved son and disciple what Christ’s ministry is like: “No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.” (2 Timothy 2:4-6). And I see Warren during those times he would begin to doubt, when his human depravity would show his fallen self, and someone would call his attention, making him realize that a true servant would want nothing more but to give all the glory to our God.

And then again, I see Paul in those who patiently tap Warren back to his senses, their continuing faith that Warren will someday become a faithful minister, their confidence of my husband’s calling to the pastorate and their gentle hearts and quiet spirits that teach Warren of the valuable things his theology books could not teach him.

Time and again, the Lord has remained faithful to my husband. He brought people to our doorstep and used them to minister to him. With brotherly love and affection, they pull him back whenever he would go astray, they patiently admonish and teach him, instilling in him the shape and character of a ‘doulos’ – a genuine bond-servant of God. With great affection, they train him to “… flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” (2 Timothy 2:22).

Indeed, I see Timothy in Warren in more ways than I ever have imagined. Once, my husband was likened to Paul, but I now beg to disagree… My husband still has a long road to journey on and I am grateful to the Lord for revealing this to us at a time when my husband needed it the most. It will still be long before he becomes another Paul. For now, it is still Timothy in the house and we praise God for the Paul’s he has sent our way.

Perhaps, that is just how it is all supposed to be… Be Timothy first, before you become a Paul… Amazing…