The folks in the Corinthian church were a mess. Paul wrote to them in love, concern, and frustration. In 1 Corinthians 4:21 he even asked them if they would prefer he come in a spirit of love or with a rod of discipline. They just didn’t seem to be able to get along with each other and when they did, it was often for the wrong reasons (see here). Nevertheless, Paul loved the church at Corinth and wanted to see them grow in the Lord. He wrote to them about the Lord’s Supper, the Resurrection, and the folly and wisdom of preaching.
He was so concerned for the church that he purposed to not leave them without capable leadership in his absence. Apollos was not interested, so Paul sent Timothy. Timothy, as you will recall, was Paul’s son in the faith. He was a young pastor whom Paul loved and trained. He was young when Paul wrote to him at Ephesus warning him, “Let no one despise you for your youth.” Note, however, that 1 Timothy was written 7 or 8 years after 1 Corinthians. That means that the man Paul was sending to this messed up Corinthian church was a VERY young man. [bctt tweet=”Paul sent very young minister into battle, but as he did, he gave Timothy two very important gifts.” via=”no”]
First, Paul gave Timothy his recommendation. When Paul wrote to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 16, he left no doubt about Timothy’s purpose, “he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am.” Paul wanted to make sure that the Corinthians knew full well that Timothy was God’s man. Paul essentially sent a letter of recommendation–Timothy is “as I am.”
Second, Paul prepared the church for Timothy. Not only did Paul give a recommendation, he lad out expectations. He told the believers at coring to “put Timothy at ease.” In other words, they were to welcome him as a brother and make his stay with them as comfortable as possible. This was not a mere stranger, this man was coming to serve them and thus should be served by them. He also exhorted, “Let no one despise him.” He commanded the church to not look down on Timothy, this was a young impressionable preacher and Paul wanted to make sure that the church was open to hearing God’s message even if the messenger did not look like what they expected.
As Christians, we need to be equally ready to offer the same gifts to others (especially other ministers) that Paul offered to Timothy. When we observe God’s gifts in someone’s life, we should be eager to encourage those gifts and to put our public stamp of approval upon a person’s giftedness as soon as they have shown themselves faithful. We should also be willing, when possible, to encourage churches and church members to honor those who serve them in leadership roles.
What are you doing to encourage young leaders (or inexperienced leaders) in your church to serve Christ? What are you doing to protect young leaders from the very people they have been called to lead?
