Your life is a story. Your story is history, ministry, prophecy, victory, and incomplete. God will use you to help others, not in spite of your story, but BECAUSE of your story. Your victory in an area gives you the authority to minister in that area. In this message, Pastor Jamie Nunnally shares about how God used Timothy, a fledgling, fearful, fatherless person, to be a leader of churches.
Timothy:
Timothy was Paul’s protégé who travel with him and co-authors epistles with him. He was a church leader in four major churches.
Acts 16:1-5
Acts 17:13-14
Paul leaves Timothy in Ephesus where he settles in as the pastor. During this time, Paul writes to two letters to Timothy encouraging him and teaching him how to lead the people in Ephesus.
According to tradition, as an older man, Timothy was killed during a violent pagan festival in Ephesus.
What can we learn from Timothy?
- God is a Father to the fatherless.
1 Tim 1:1-2
Philippians 2:22 “But you know how Timothy has proved himself. Like a son with his father, he has served with me in preaching the Good News.”
A mentor doesn’t just walk ahead of you so you can see how they do things, they walk with you so you can do the same things you do. - Timidity can rob you of your ministry.
2 Timothy 1:7-8a “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 8 So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord.”
Don’t confuse humility and timidity. Timidity is thinking less of yourself, humility is thinking of yourself less. Timidity is preemptive fear.
1 Timothy 4:12
You may not always have the right answer, but you can always be a good example. Your Jesus-talk is validated by your Jesus-walk.
- Maintain what you’ve been given.
1 Tim 6:20
Anything that’s worth having requires maintenance. Distraction is destructive to your destiny.
2 Tim 1:5-6
- Greatness is the result of faithfulness, not giftedness.
1 Corinthians 4:17
Philippians 2:20-21
Faithfulness is a fruit, not a feeling. It doesn’t bail when there’s a better opportunity.