“In the meantime, I will be staying here at Ephesus until the Festival of Pentecost. There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me. When Timothy comes, don’t intimidate him. He is doing the Lord’s work, just as I am. Don’t let anyone treat him with contempt. Send him on his way with your blessing when he returns to me. I expect him to come with the other believers.”
1 Corinthians 16:8-11 NLT
Paul met Timothy in Lystra during Paul’s second missionary journey. Timothy became Paul’s protege and eventually the pastor of the Ephesian church. His name appeared in 1 Corinthians 4:17, “That’s why I have sent Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of how I follow Christ Jesus, just as I teach in all the churches wherever I go”, so perhaps Timothy was the bearer of this letter from Paul. But as we review the previous fifteen chapters of this epistle, we can see that it was not going to be well-received by the Corinthians. So perhaps Timothy, as the messenger, would potentially be under fire for its contents. But would the believers in Corinth have intimidated him? This letter addressed several problems in the church, and not all the believers would have appreciated its message. There were the problems of the different factions, jealousy and quarrels. A man was living in sin with his stepmother, lawsuits were going on between church members, and Paul addressed issues with sexual immorality. Rules and suggestions about marriage were included, as well as how to deal with foods offered to idols. Paul didn’t hold back from confronting the Corinthian church’s problems, because he had a sincere love for the people there and wanted their highest good for lives lived God’s way. But inevitably, there were believers in Corinth who would not have liked the contents of Paul’s letter and would have been perhaps a little unfriendly to Timothy. We don’t know how long Timothy stayed in Corinth, but Paul instructed the believers there to treat him well. After all, Paul said, “He is doing the Lord’s work”.
Paul wrote two letters to Timothy while he was ministering elsewhere, probably in Ephesus. In 1 Timothy 1:18, Paul wrote, “Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lord’s battles”. We’re very grateful for Timothy and his inexperience because Paul’s instructions had the benefit of providing much New Testament theology. There were no Bible Colleges in those days, with exams that had to be passed before someone could be considered for a ministerial vacancy. It was very much on-the-job training, with leaders emerging with reliance on the Holy Spirit and the Jewish Bible for guidance. And Paul faithfully encouraged and taught Timothy so that he followed the right paths.
In our churches today, do we feel intimidated by someone around us who perhaps has a better knowledge of the Bible than we do? Or is there someone who can pray so much more eloquently than we can? Is there someone who seems to have their life very much intact and coherent, while we seem to jump from one crisis to another? Do we feel discouraged when the pastor appears to preach about an issue we are battling with, leaving us squirming in our seats? At such times, there is one precious place where we must turn to – God’s presence. What does God think of us? Isaiah wrote, “But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. … Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honoured, and I love you” (Isaiah 43:1, 4). Instead of the names “Jacob” and “Israel”, we must put in our own names, and then read and re-read these verses. At a time when we might feel intimidated, we remember what God has said about us. As His children, we are each precious members of His family. He knows us personally by name, in fact, so intimately that God said, “See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands ...” (Isaiah 49:16a). And then there is the ultimate security, because our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
We pilgrims must never be intimidated by those around us. Instead, we must carry on with our journey through life, doing the Lord’s work as he has asked. After all, we only have to look up and see Jesus, and then all else becomes largely irrelevant. Timothy wasn’t intimidated, I’m sure, because soon after he delivered the letter, he was on the journey back to be with Paul. Job done. Message delivered. Intimidated no more.
Dear Father God. Thank You for Your love and kindness, for Your encouragement and grace. Please help us in our life journeys so that one day we will be in Your presence forever. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 