Healthy Relationships: Paul & Timothy Matthew Clifton-Brown
Matt looked at the closeness of Paul and Timothy’s relationship, how Paul saw himself as a father to Timothy. He didn’t let his ministry become so business-like that there wasn’t time for heart-felt expressions of belonging. Paul commends Timothy’s mother and grandmother for their godly care of him. Finally, Paul exhorts Timothy to keep stirring up the prophetic gifting within him that he’d received at the laying on of hands from the elders and Paul himself.
2 Timothy 1: 3-7
"I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline."
1 Cor 4: 14-17
"I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church"
Questions
Matt looked at how we often find it awkward to express heart-felt emotion to a work colleague, or friend. In our teams/marriages we need intentionally keep it relational. Talk in the group about your experiences in this area. Have you been in a situation where someone became quite emotional and you found it hard to deal with? Or have you found that people find it difficult when you express heart-felt emotion? How can we ensure that the teams we lead/are part of, don’t slip into distant, business-like ones?
It was encouraging for all mums and grandparents that Paul commended Paul's mother and grandmother for their great job raising him in Christian ways. Pray in groups for all kids workers in the church, parents and grandparents who are tirelessly working hard at raising their children to follow Christ. Pray for Grace and perseverance, and for them to be encouraged in this vital work.
We all need to be encouraged to stay fresh and inspired in what God has called us to. Discouragement can easily beset us, causing us to back off and coast through life. What did Paul remind Timothy of? Do you think we have replaced the practice he refers to with something else in the church at large? Why is it so important that we ‘go back’ to this moment?
Paul emphasizes the difference in 1 Corinthians 4 between tutors and fathers. Can you list five reasons why ‘fathering’ is more important than 'tutoring'?