A Whole New World (Acts 16:9-16)

A WHOLE NEW WORLD (ACTS 16:1-15)

A whole new world emerged to me when I moved from USA to Hong Kong in 2008 after living there for 21 years. Hong Kong was the gateway to China, the pearl of the Orient, and, more importantly, my wife’s hometown. I had no choice. Doris said, “If you’re not going to leave, I’m going to leave.”

In my second year in Hong Kong a USA seminary asked me to join them for theological missions in Asia, so I joined them a year later in 2011. I resigned in 2013, when Doris had cancer, and returned to pastoral ministry.

The last month (June 24-July 7, 2019) has been very special to me. I met not one, not two but four former students (June 24, 2019), two when I was out of town. All of them were in their early 20s when we first met. One attended a class with a group of farmers I taught. The second brought back very deep memories. He was with a group of more than 20 young people who were housed together in a church for three years to study for a seminary degree. They were allowed to attend churches on the weekend only for security reason and on the weekdays they lived in one floor of a church premise – where they ate together, slept in separate dormitories and washed their own clothes. For extra bonus, two more students who were attending seminars in Hong Kong last month met me at church two weeks ago (July 7, 2019). Now these early 30s young man are all leaders in their own right, one teaching at the seminary level.

In the last chapter (Acts 15) the great missionary double-team of Paul and Barnabas broke up or fell out over Mark, so for Paul and his team, there were new people to meet and mentor, foreign lands to explore and new visions, new customs and new practices to learn. Meanwhile the Great Commission to go and disciple all nations had moved from Jerusalem to Samaria and Antioch, but not much farther.

What is required to mentor a person? What does it mean to disciple all nations? How can the ladies get involved?

Strike the Right Partnership

16 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. 2 The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers. (Acts16:1-5)

When the late Dr. F. B. Meyer was asked at the end of his tour in India to define India's need, he said, "Were I a young man again I would go to India, find twelve young men, live with them, pray with them, teach them the Bible, inspire them, and send them out to evangelize India."

A person asked, "And what would you do then?"

"I would find twelve more," was the reply. (Selected)

I always pride myself in saying, “I came to the church as a mentor to coworlers before I was fullt-ime doing language ministries!”.

An African Proverb says, “f you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

Paul’s ministry was incomplete without doing three things. First, a successor, a mentee and a disciplee. To take someone, especially a younger person, under your wings and tutelage is not an easy thing. You got to spend time, show trust and serve them. Paul took a big risk when he saw Timothy. You are talking about taking a younger man to the high seas for a few years. You cannot be casual, careless and complacent. This passage details the right kind of example, experience and encouragement they shared. Timothy was the right kind of development, not clouded by his mother Eunice (2 Tim 1:5), his Greek father or his grandmother Lois (2 Tim 1:5). He was not the typical second generation believer. He was a disciple (v 1) who was introduced in the text before his partners were. Faith must be firsthand, fresh and foremost, not faded, forshadowed or flaky.

What made Timothy different from other children whose parents are believers? He experieced the faith for himself, specificlly Paul’s persecution. Paul’s never say die and over my dead body atttiude inspired him and made such a huge impression upon young Timothy in Lystra. Previously in Lystra two chapters ago, where Paul healed a man cripppled from birth (Acts 14:8), then saw Jews from Antioch and Iconium stoning him. Miraculously after surviving the stoning, the next day Paul departed with Barnabas to Derbe, but returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch,to strengthen the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and to persevere in much tribulation.