Many people know that Paul\u00a0was\u00a0one of the greatest\u00a0leaders\u00a0of the Christian faith. He planted\u00a0churches,\u00a0pastored churches, led with\u00a0the\u00a0apostles, wrote inspired letters, evangelized cities, loved people, fostered relationships between churches, and suffered for the Gospel.\u00a0But he did something else that was\u00a0essential\u00a0to the progress of the Gospel. He took a young\u00a0inexperienced and timid\u00a0man under his wing, trained him, taught him, loved him, served him,\u00a0gave him opportunities\u00a0to lead, and\u00a0at the end of his life\u00a0passed\u00a0the baton.<\/p>\n
It all started in Acts 16:3\u00a0–\u00a0so Paul wanted (Timothy) to join them on their journey\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n This\u00a0is a verse that\u00a0we are not typically attracted to as being significant, but as I consider\u00a0how God has worked in my life and where He is wanting to take my family now, it has become impactful.<\/p>\n Paul wasn\u2019t\u00a0just\u00a0inviting Timothy on a short-term mission trip.\u00a0He invited Timothy to be\u00a0his spiritual son, a\u00a0future\u00a0co-laborer, and finally, one who would carry the Gospel baton to the next generation. Timothy\u00a0got to\u00a0see\u00a0and experience what\u00a0Paul did for the sake of the Gospel:\u00a0his hurts, his joys, his passion for\u00a0health in the church, his evangelism, and his suffering. Paul intimately trained Timothy.<\/p>\n I am a\u00a0Timothy<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0knowing that\u00a0causes me to well\u00a0up with joy and thanksgiving. My family came to Faith Church when I was around 12 years old in 2001, and\u00a0since then,\u00a0Faith\u00a0has been our home. It was\u00a0not more than a year\u00a0before\u00a0older men in the church saw me and wanted me to join them on their journeys.<\/p>\n It was\u00a0Joe Wright\u00a0<\/strong>(my dad)\u00a0<\/strong>teaching me how to work by inviting me to work with him on painting projects during the summer and also discipling me at home.<\/p>\n It was\u00a0Jeff Walters\u00a0<\/strong>(deacon\/jr.\u00a0high leader)\u00a0inviting me to serve by cleaning the kitchen with him and others on Wednesday nights.<\/p>\n It was\u00a0Scott Grass\u00a0<\/strong>(FCS\u00a0principal)\u00a0training me in spiritual leadership as\u00a0high school\u00a0class president and inviting me to coach basketball with him in college.<\/p>\n It was\u00a0Troy Grimes\u00a0<\/strong>(Faith coach and\u00a0Director of\u00a0Maintenance)\u00a0coaching me on leadership as I led the basketball team and then\u00a0inviting me to work with him.<\/p>\n It was\u00a0Titus Curtis\u00a0<\/strong>(Pastor of Worship)\u00a0inviting me to join him on worship team and training me\u00a0on what it meant to care for and\u00a0pastor\u00a0people.<\/p>\n It was\u00a0Johnny\u00a0Kjaer\u00a0<\/strong>(Youth Pastor)\u00a0inviting me into his home to let me see a family dedicated to ministry.<\/p>\n It was\u00a0Brent Aucoin\u00a0<\/strong>(Pastor of Soul Care)\u00a0inviting me into discipleship and into the seminary program.<\/p>\n It was\u00a0Steve\u00a0Viars\u00a0<\/strong>(Senior Pastor)\u00a0inviting me to plant Faith Church North, lead the Hartford Hub, and be a part of starting the\u00a0Northend\u00a0Community Center.<\/p>\n These are men who saw me and wanted me on the journey with them.<\/p>\n When they saw me, they didn\u2019t just see my strengths. They saw my weaknesses \u2013 my fear, pride,\u00a0selfishness,\u00a0a craving for success,\u00a0and they still invited me on the journey with them.<\/p>\n But they did not just see\u00a0my weaknesses.\u00a0They also experienced\u00a0them<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Paul probably knew that he would be more efficient on his own, but the next generation would suffer. Timothy would suffer. Other churches would suffer.<\/p>\n Each of the men that saw me could have found a more qualified, skilled, or sanctified man than me. There are plenty of reasons each of these men could give for why they could have reasonably left me behind, but they didn\u2019t. They\u00a0picked me up, taught me, encouraged me, and invited me to get back\u00a0on the journey with them.<\/p>\n Humanly speaking, I am doing what I am doing today because\u00a0these\u00a0men invited me on a journey with them. Lord-willing, this September, my wife, Cara, and our two daughters will be moving to New Jersey to begin working\u00a0on\u00a0planting\u00a0a church\u00a0with Converge Northeast. None of these men (including me) knew what they were preparing me for. They just knew that the best way to further the Gospel was to invite others on the journey\u00a0\u2013 someone like me.<\/p>\n We all need someone leading us in our journeys with Christ. We need a Paul in our lives \u2013 a person who encourages, teaches, picks us up\u00a0when we fall, and trains us to walk with Him.<\/p>\n In Paul\u2019s last letter to Timothy, he says, \u201cRecalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.\u201d We need someone who cares about us and our faith the same way Paul cared for Timothy.<\/p>\n Who\u00a0has invited you to\u00a0journey with\u00a0them?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Who is the one that you get to learn from in your walk with Christ? Who is the one who picks you up in failure? Who is the one who is always ready to help you take your next step with Jesus? Whoever it is,\u00a0take some time this week to thank them for their investment in you. If you don\u2019t have someone like that, watch, pray, and listen for one.<\/p>\n When Jesus left,\u00a0He told\u00a0His disciples to go and make new disciples all over the world. Jesus chose to use us as the way the Gospel would spread. This means that we need to invite men and women to journey with us.<\/p>\n Who have you invited to journey with you?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Pray for them. Love them. Care for them. Teach them. Do not give up on them. Your investment in that person may impact the spiritual well-being of many others. If you don\u2019t have someone walking with you, ask God who you are supposed to invite on the journey with you.<\/p>\n As you walk with Christ, listen for invitations, and give invitations out. This is part of what Gospel ministry is about.<\/p>\n Photo by\u00a0Ben White<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Unsplash<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I am a Timothy<\/h2>\n
Even with my flaws<\/h2>\n
We all need an invitation<\/h2>\n
We need to give out invitations<\/h2>\n
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