Rachel Starr Thomson

Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek: Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium. Him would Paul have to go forth with him.”

Acts 16:1-3

Oh, Timothy: eternal ideal of the Christian youth. Is there a young believer on Earth who has never shared in Paul’s admonition to you to “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers”? History reports that Timothy made a good job of it. From his first mention in the Book of Acts he is “well-reported of.” The Catholic Church venerates him as saint and martyr; church history calls him “the bishop of Ephesus”; the Greek Orthodox recognize him as an apostle.

Timothy’s adventure began when Paul all but shanghaied him on his second missionary journey. But what did this shining example of discipleship actually do with his life?

He may have preached. We don’t have a single recorded sermon to prove it.

Perhaps he founded churches. Again, we have no record of it.

Two pieces of Scripture bear his name, but Paul wrote them–not Timothy.

My favourite memoir of Timothy’s life is found in Acts 19:22:

“So Paul sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, Timotheus and Erastus; but he himself stayed in Asia for a season.”

Did you catch that? Timothy was “one of those”–he doesn’t even get a special, separate mention–”that ministered unto Paul.”

The glory of it.

Don’t be fooled by the word “ministered.” Modern English usage has spoiled it. “Minister” is not something you do from a pulpit. “Minister” is service. It’s lugging Paul’s bags around. It’s making sure he gets his porridge in the morning. It’s holding up a candle so Paul can get his letters written. It’s trotting around the Roman Empire at the heels of an apostle, always in his shadow, just serving. Timothy did this for years.

Bishop of Ephesus, Orthodox apostle–here Timothy is something simpler and sweeter. Did I say he walked in Paul’s shadow? No…the truth is he walked in Christ’s pure light. Jesus Himself said, “He that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.”

If you desire to serve God, you who are young and searching for meaning, I encourage you to find a servant of God to serve. Receive a prophet; give a cup of cold water to a weary disciple. Hold up the candle. Cook the porridge. Love someone.

Paul’s words are a beautiful benediction on the life of this young man who served him so faithfully for so many years.

“To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve… that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy.”

II Timothy 1:2-4

Even so may you and I, as a community of servants, fill one another with joy.

And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him. When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.

And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.

Acts 20:6-12

Many people in the church today have a sort of mania when it comes to miracles and spiritual experiences. We see them as signs of God’s presence, of spiritual health, of something big happening. Conversely, if they’re not present, we think there’s a problem.

This is unfortunate. Miracles aren’t the point. The point is salvation–the point is the great truth we’ve been caught up in, that God loves us and has sent His Son to die in our place; that we are reconciled to the Father and have access to Him.

In Troas, Paul raised a boy from the dead. It was the single greatest miracle of his life. And when he had done it, he went back upstairs, ate, finished his sermon, and left.

No revival meetings. No setting up camp; no building an altar. No worldwide announcements that the Spirit had broken out in Asia.

Instead, Acts tells us, the disciples in Troas were “not a little comforted” by the event.

In the KJV, “comfort” is a powerful word. To be comforted is to be reminded of the truth. It’s assurance that the things you have believed really are true; that you’re not going to wake up from this fairy tale. It’s to be touched by the Spirit of God, just enough so that we can press on.

When Paul raised Eutychus from the dead, the miracle did not bring new truth, new spirituality, or a new dawn to Troas. It was just a reminder: a word from God saying “This is real.” The Holy Spirit has been given, in part, to remind us of this. Jesus said, “The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26).

My life has been full of comfort: little reminders, little miracles. The list of them grows with every passing year. No one will ever build a theology of revival around my comforts; I won’t be canonized for them. But they’re enough. Their message continually speaks to me.

This is real.

Taking a quick break from work…

I work with words for seven or eight hours every day. I read them, I write them, I correct them. They never cease to amaze me. The fact that we can string 26 letters together and communicate worlds with them, across centuries and cultural boundary lines, that we can form new ideas and challenge old ones, put fears to rest and create upheaval… words are amazing.

I write to create beauty. I realized this the other day. For me writing is not just about communication. It’s an art form. That’s why I get a thrill out of poetry, or a piece of description that’s just perfect. I love a sentence with rhythm; a paragraph with style. I love a line of dialogue that sounds in my head. I love the way beauty itself communicates: with more power and truth than can be in words alone.

I love it when words force me to stop my day for a moment just to absorb them.

I love the vocabulary of Scripture. I like to pull its word out and run them through my head: grace, thanksgiving, great love; awesome, holy, LORD of Hosts. “I call to remembrance my song in the night” (Psalm 77:6).

What are words to you?

I’ve been out of the “usual life” loop for a little while, so I’m enjoying getting back in. Alexis and I went to Bible study tonight (a sort of college & careers group based out of our church, but with an interesting mix of people at varying stages of life). We’ve been going through the Book of Hebrews, and it’s really been good. I just love getting into Scripture with a bunch of people and sinking our teeth into it, verse by verse.

I’m just so amazed by Scripture… I think I’m learning to appreciate it more and more. There was a time in my life when my spirituality (for lack of a better word) was largely based in “experiences” with God. I had a very emotional connection with Him. I’m not downplaying that… it was incredibly formative, and I still thank God for that time. And then things dried up. I fully believe that God orchestrated that “desert time.” And He promised me (when I begged for an explanation) that I would learn that “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God.” Life since that time has been a deep and holy lesson in living by the word: eating it, standing on it, studying it, embracing it. He’s given us SO much in it.

The last year has been really rich in Bible study. At the moment I’m studying on my own (Luke… I’ve been going through the Gospels), listening to an interesting sermon series on Romans, and reading through Hebrews with my Bible study group. I love the way everything fits together, how more and more pieces fall into place all the time. Our discussion tonight brought to memory a verse I read when I studied Leviticus last year, and that verse suddenly snapped into focus for me for the first time. Not only that, but it applied to what I read in Romans… and something Jesus said… and a discussion I was having with a friend the other day.

I know I’m rambling… I’m just impressed with God all over again tonight, and I thought I’d mention it :).