Pathways to the Nations Sample

Day 4

Taking One for the Team

Years back, I was overseas at a baseball practice with some excellent young Japanese players. I could not speak their language but the Japanese men my age knew English. One particularly hard-hit ball took a bad bounce and nailed a Japanese boy in the groin. He doubled over, fell on the ground, and couldn’t play again for a few minutes. As they were helping him off the field, one of the Japanese men turned to me and said, “Very painful.” Yes, it was.

Timothy experienced real pain as well. We shouldn’t gloss over Timothy’s physical commitment to the apostle Paul and the early church. To avoid giving Jewish critics in that location and in other places one more reason to impugn the gospel, Timothy allowed himself to be circumcised as a young man. Let’s note this scenario and not be too polite about it. For the sake of the gospel, Timothy took one for the team, letting someone else take a knife to the region that he knew would be very painful.

Timothy’s commitment later threw him into more tough situations. Paul notes his spiritual son’s frequent illnesses—more pain, and no wonder. Timothy was trying to teach and lead in the church, but naturally he faced some age discrimination. Paul had to remind Timothy to exemplify such godly living that others wouldn’t be able to look down on him for his inexperience. Timothy’s living life as a model before older believers was itself a difficult assignment. 

But Paul would tell the Philippians that no one had proven himself like Timothy, whose interests were those of Jesus. Timothy modeled genuine concern for others. Despite his youth, he proved himself a faithful follower of Paul and leader of others.

Young people can take on tough assignments, even work to ignite disciplemaking movements overseas. As Timothy set an example for godly living, so can young believers. Parents, pastors, and missions can take a lesson from Paul and employ young men and women to take the Good News where it hasn’t been heard. Yes, older leaders can support them and try to mitigate painful situations. But with good leadership, young, committed believers can overcome the disadvantages of inexperience and help lead the movement of the gospel into new places.

If you’re advising young people about missions, would you consider suggesting that they go for it? If you’re young and God’s calling you to take the gospel to a tough place overseas, why not do it?