Devotion #5: Family Business

Josh Thayer

“I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel. I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me, and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also.” Philippians 2:19-24

My father was a hairstylist, owned a successful salon, and I did not follow in his footsteps. I have an abundance of confidence so I could look you in the eyes and tell you, “Yes, I can give you an amazing haircut,” but when I turn you around to look in the mirror you will realize this was a huge mistake and probably ask me to glue your hair back on. It was very common when this passage was written for fathers to vocationally train their sons and for their sons to stay loyal to the family business and eventually take over. Here in Philippians, Paul is writing to Christians at Philippi from jail, and Timothy is with him. Timothy was not in jail, he was serving with Paul in his ministry. Timothy and Paul were not related but Timothy was showing this same father-son loyalty in his spiritual apprenticeship with Paul.

Paul states later in this Scripture that Timothy has proven his worth, and has served with him in the sharing of the Gospel. Then he makes reference to the father-son cultural relationship norm of the time. Here, Paul is saying that Timothy was serving with him in his ministry. This can be comparable to our ministry here at The River Church, or any church for that matter. Serving is a vital role in the gathering of the church today, just as it was back then. Could Paul have done it alone? Yes, probably for a while, but would he have been able to reach more people with Timothy’s help? Was he able to make sure future generations would be in good hands after his ministry was done? I would go out on a limb and say, “Yes!”

The same is true for what we do today in the modern church. We are all called to our communities to be a light where there is no light. We are to bring truth where there are lies. We are to bring grace and love where there is hurt and pain. It is our privilege and responsibility to tell people about Jesus and what He did for them. It will change their lives for eternity. This is why we are always trying to make serving opportunities available to everyone. We see it done in Scripture and we know that with everyone’s help we can reach more people with the Gospel and then the Gospel will continue to go out long after we are all gone. Just like Timothy served with Paul, who are you serving with, but also who are you teaching to serve with you?