Acts 20:4 – And Sopater of Berea accompanied him to Asia—also Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia.
Paul’s impact on the world would encompass generations. One of the reasons for this was the emphasis that Paul placed on making disciples. Apparently he would take young men from each of the churches and choose for them to travel with him in his missionary travels. This is exactly what Jesus did in His ministry, selecting twelve men to be with Him constantly throughout His ministry. Paul’s disciples became future pastors of churches Paul had planted and ultimately stepped into apostolic ministry like Paul. The most most well known of these disciples was Timothy whom Paul called His son in the faith. Paul told the churches he sent Timothy to to receive him as they would receive Paul himself. This is how Matthew Henry describes this passage.
“To render their regard to Timothy the greater, he gives them his character. He was his beloved son, a spiritual child of his, as well as themselves. Note, Spiritual brotherhood should engage affection as well as what is common and natural. The children of one father should have one heart. But he adds, “He is faithful in the Lord—trustworthy, as one that feared the Lord. He will be faithful in the particular office he has now received of the Lord, the particular errand on which he comes; not only from me, but from Christ. He knows what I have taught, and what my conversation has been in all places, and, you may depend upon it, he will make a faithful report. Note, It is a great commendation of any minister that he is faithful in the Lord, faithful to his soul, to his light, to his trust from God; this must go a great way in procuring regard to his message with those that fear God.”
This is the amazing strength of the Christian faith. Crowds can come and go but sons in the faith become permanent and are essential for the future of the church. Without Timothy and these other disciples Christianity may well have ended with Paul. We must all teach others to walk in the ways of the Lord as we have. Over the years our church in New Orleans has trained and raised up many leaders. Ultimately this whole region will be effected.
