Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

Back to Lystra. “Then he came to Derbe and Lystra” (16:1). Paul had preached the gospel in these towns on his first journey (Acts 14:6-7). Now he came back with Silas to visit the believers. A new partner. Paul and Barnabas had gone different ways, so “Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God” (15:40). To be commended means to be handed over into someone’s care. The church placed Paul in God’s care as he set out with Silas. A disciple named Timothy. “And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy” (16:1). A disciple is a follower and learner of Jesus. Timothy most likely came to faith when Paul first preached in Lystra. Paul later called him “a true son in the faith” (1 Timothy 1:2). His family. Timothy was “the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek” (16:1). Greek here means he was a Gentile, someone who was not Jewish. Years later Paul remembered the real faith of Timothy’s grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5). God was at work. While Paul was away, God kept His church in Lystra growing. Timothy was one of the believers there. What we learn. Jesus calls people from every kind of home. When you trust Jesus, you become His disciple, and He has good work for you to do.

Returning (15:41; 16:1). Paul and Silas had gone “through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches” (15:41). “Then he came to Derbe and Lystra” (16:1). These were the towns Paul and Barnabas reached on the first journey (Acts 14:6-7). This time Paul came by land and reached Derbe first. Commended to grace (15:40). “Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God.” The church in Antioch sent Paul out leaning on God’s grace, not his own strength. Barnabas had sailed to Cyprus with Mark (15:39), so the work now went on in two directions. A certain disciple. “And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy.” The word behold calls us to look: God had a man ready in Lystra. Timothy was most likely one of the disciples made on Paul’s first visit; Paul later called him “a true son in the faith” (1 Timothy 1:2). A mixed home. He was “the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek.” His mother was a Jewish believer in Jesus, and his father was a Gentile. Paul later wrote of the genuine faith that lived first in Timothy’s grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5). God’s quiet work. Paul had left Lystra in hardship. Yet when he returned, there were brethren who knew Timothy well (16:2). The gospel had taken root while Paul was gone, because the Lord Himself keeps His church. Application. God does His work in ordinary towns and ordinary homes. Whatever your background, if you trust Christ, you are His disciple, and He can use you.

Paul had visited Lystra on his first trip. He told the people there about Jesus. Now Paul came back with his friend Silas. In Lystra they met a follower of Jesus named Timothy. A follower of Jesus is called a disciple. Timothy most likely heard the Good News on Paul’s first visit. His mother was a Jewish woman who believed in Jesus. His father was Greek, so he was not Jewish. God had been working in Timothy’s life. Jesus calls people from every kind of family. He calls boys and girls, moms and dads. Jesus calls you to follow Him too!

Paul came back to the town of Lystra. A follower of Jesus named Timothy was there. God had been at work in Lystra!

Well spoken of. “He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium” (16:2). Believers in two towns agreed about Timothy. They had watched his life, and they spoke well of him. Two towns. Iconium was a town not far from Lystra (Acts 14:6). Timothy was known and respected beyond his own town. Known by what we do. “Even a child is known by his deeds, Whether what he does is pure and right” (Proverbs 20:11). People cannot see your heart, but they can see what you do and how you treat others. Before the big job. The believers spoke well of Timothy before Paul asked him to travel (16:2-3). His faith showed in ordinary places first. God often grows us in small things before He gives us bigger work. Not a ticket to heaven. No one is saved by being liked or by doing good things. Timothy was a disciple because he trusted Jesus. Fruit you can see. When you trust Jesus, He makes you new. His Holy Spirit grows love, kindness and faithfulness in you, and other people notice. What we learn. Your words and actions tell people what you love. Ask Jesus to help you live so that others can see Him in you.

A good report (16:2). “He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium.” The phrase means that believers spoke up for him; they could vouch for his life. Timothy had a good report among God’s people. Two churches. Lystra and Iconium were separate towns, each with its own believers (Acts 14:1, 6). Timothy’s good name was not one friend’s opinion. Believers in two places agreed. Known by deeds. “Even a child is known by his deeds, Whether what he does is pure and right” (Proverbs 20:11). Character shows itself over time, in ordinary choices made again and again. Tested before sent. The good report came first (16:2), and then “Paul wanted to have him go on with him” (16:3). Faithfulness in a small place prepared Timothy for a larger work. Reputation and the gospel. A good name never saves anyone. Timothy’s life was good because Christ had changed him, not the other way around. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Why it matters. A servant of the gospel carries the name of Jesus with him. When believers live well, people are more ready to hear the message. Application. What would the believers who know you say about you? Ask the Holy Spirit to grow real faith in you that shows in how you treat people at home, at school and at church.

The believers in Lystra knew Timothy. Believers in Iconium knew him too. They all said good things about him. Why did they speak so well of Timothy? They could see how he lived for Jesus. The Bible says, “Even a child is known by his behavior.” That means people learn about us from what we do. Our actions show what is in our hearts. But a good name cannot save us. Only Jesus saves us from our sin. When we trust Him, He makes us new inside. Then He helps us live in a way others can see.

The believers said good things about Timothy. People could see that he loved Jesus. Jesus helps us live for Him!

Come along. “Paul wanted to have him go on with him” (16:3). Timothy could help carry the good news to many towns. Why circumcision? Paul “circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek” (16:3). Circumcision was the sign God gave Abraham’s family. Jewish boys received it, but Timothy, with a Greek father, had not. So the door stayed open. Paul usually began in a new town by teaching in the synagogue, the Jewish meeting place. Timothy’s background might have kept some Jewish listeners from hearing them. Paul took that problem out of the way so they could hear about Jesus. Not to be saved. In our last lesson, the church leaders agreed that no one is saved by circumcision or by keeping the law (Acts 15:11). Timothy was already a disciple. This was about reaching people, not about being saved. Love for the Jewish people. The Jews in that region were the very people Paul wanted to reach. Paul wrote, “to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews” (1 Corinthians 9:20). What we learn. Sometimes love means giving up something we are free to do, so that others will listen to the good news. Ask what would help a friend hear about Jesus.

A new coworker (16:3). “Paul wanted to have him go on with him.” Silas had come from the church in Jerusalem (15:22); Timothy came from the churches Paul had planted. The team now joined both. The reason given. “And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek.” The reason is stated plainly: the Jewish people of that region, who all knew Timothy’s background. Mission, not salvation. Not long before, the Jerusalem Council had agreed that people are saved “through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ” (15:11), without circumcision. Paul was not undoing that. Timothy was already a believer; his circumcision was for the sake of Jewish hearers. Becoming as a Jew. Paul explained his practice: “and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews” (1 Corinthians 9:20). Where the gospel itself was not at stake, he gave up his own rights to remove barriers. The Jews of the region. These were the people Paul longed to reach. He wrote that the gospel is for everyone who believes, “for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Romans 1:16). Freedom used for love. Paul was free in Christ. He chose to use that freedom to serve others, not to please himself. Application. Think about what might keep a friend from listening to the gospel. Where no command of God is broken, be willing to give up a preference so that someone can hear about Jesus.

Paul wanted Timothy to travel with him. The Jewish people there knew Timothy’s father was Greek. So Paul circumcised Timothy. Circumcision was a mark of Jewish families, given by God. Why did Paul do this? He wanted Jewish people to listen to the Good News. Paul often taught in Jewish meeting places first. He did not want anything to get in the way. Was Timothy circumcised to be saved? No, he was not. Timothy was already saved by trusting Jesus. Paul loved the Jewish people very much. He wanted them to know Jesus too.

Paul wanted Timothy to come along. Paul wanted Jewish people to hear the Good News. Jesus wants everyone to hear about Him!

Town to town. “And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem” (16:4). Decrees are decisions made by leaders. Good news, not a heavy load. These were the decisions from the Jerusalem Council in our last lesson. Gentile believers did not have to keep the law of Moses to be saved. Strengthened. “So the churches were strengthened in the faith” (16:5). Their trust in Jesus grew firm, like a tree whose roots go deep. Growing every day. The churches “increased in number daily” (16:5). New people kept coming to Jesus. God was building His church. Why strong? Clear teaching helps faith grow. When believers know that Jesus saves by grace, wrong ideas cannot easily shake them. A picture. Many Christians see Paul and Timothy as a picture of how older believers help younger believers grow in Christ. What we learn. God grows His church through His Word and His people. Stay close to God’s Word and to other believers, and your faith will grow strong.

Dogma (16:4). “And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem.” Decrees is dogma (say: DOG-mah), an official decision. These were the decisions of Acts 15, carried in person. One message everywhere. The same decision reached church after church. Every congregation heard that Gentiles are saved by grace without the law of Moses. Stereoo (16:5). “So the churches were strengthened in the faith.” The verb is stereoo (say: steh-reh-OH-oh), to make firm and solid. The same word is used for the lame man’s feet and ankles made strong in Acts 3:7. In the faith. In this verse, the faith means the good news about Jesus that the churches believed. The more clearly they understood it, the more firmly they stood. Daily growth. They “increased in number daily.” Strength and growth went together: churches made firm in the truth kept reaching out. God gives the growth. Paul, Silas and Timothy traveled and taught, but the growth was the Lord’s work. He was adding to His people, as He had from the beginning. A picture. Many Christians see Paul and Timothy as a picture of how one generation of believers trains the next. Application. Faith grows strong on the truth. Keep reading God’s Word, keep meeting with believers, and pray for your church to grow.

Paul, Silas, and Timothy went from town to town. They shared the decisions of the church leaders in Jerusalem. In our last lesson, the leaders said we are saved by grace. Rules cannot save anyone. Then the churches grew stronger in their faith. Their trust in Jesus grew deeper. More people believed in Jesus every day. Who made the church grow? God did! He used His Word and His people to do it. Many Christians see Paul and Timothy as a picture for us. Older believers can help younger believers grow. Jesus is still growing His church today.

The friends shared the decisions from Jerusalem. The churches grew strong. More people believed in Jesus every day!

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

🎉 All Matched!