Prepare For Sunday | August 30th, 2026
Timothy | Trust and Obey | Acts 16:1-5
Some testimonies begin with an earthquake. Others begin with a mother reading the Bible to her little boy.
This Sunday we continue our series, This Is My Story…My Song, by looking at one of the quieter testimonies in the New Testament: Timothy.
Unlike John Mark, Timothy’s story is not marked by spectacular failure and dramatic restoration. There is no Damascus Road moment, no earthquake, no sudden conversion scene.
His story is much more ordinary.
A grandmother believed. A mother taught him the Scriptures. A church recognized his gifts. Paul invested in him. And over years of ordinary faithfulness, Jesus formed a timid young man into one of the most trusted leaders in the early church.
Timothy’s story reminds us that we should never mistake undramatic grace for insignificant grace.
Again and again, Timothy found himself caught between the impulse to shrink back and the call of Christ to step forward. He was young, physically frail, and apparently naturally hesitant. Yet Jesus did not need to turn Timothy into Paul. He simply taught Timothy, one step at a time, to trust and obey.
And over the years, something remarkable happened:
Timothy began to look like Jesus.
That is what Christ does with ordinary people who trust him enough to take the next faithful step.
So this Sunday we’ll ask a simple question: What is the next thing Jesus is asking you to trust him enough to do?
You don’t have to see the whole road. You don’t have to be fearless.
You just need to know that the One calling you can be trusted.
Join us Sunday as we hear Timothy’s story, his song, and the story of the faithful Jesus who made him who he became.
Timothy: Trust and Obey
Acts 16:1–5
Big Idea: Jesus forms ordinary people into faithful disciples as they learn, one step at a time, to trust and obey.
1. Who Was He?
Caught Between Two Worlds
Acts 16:1; 2 Timothy 1:5; 3:14–15
2. How Did Jesus Meet Him?
Through Ordinary People and Ordinary Faithfulness
Acts 16:2–3; 2 Timothy 2:2
3. Who Did He Become?
Caught Between the Impulse to Shrink Back and the Call to Step Forward
1 Timothy 4:12; 6:11–12; 2 Timothy 1:6–8
4. What Song Did That Produce?
Trust and Obey
Philippians 2:19–24
Call: You don’t have to be fearless to be faithful. You have to trust Jesus enough to obey.
Questions for Personal Reflection and Group Discussion
Aim: This text takes away the excuse of waiting to feel brave — and asks whether you've been quietly discounting the ordinary faithfulness that's actually forming you and the people around you.
1. Timothy's story has no earthquake in it. Does “ordinary” stories like this make you feel relieved or a little cheated — and what does your reaction say about what you've believed a “real” testimony has to look like?
2. Paul repeatedly encouraged Timothy not to shrink back. Where are you most tempted to shrink back right now—and what makes it hard for you to step forward in faith?
3. What have you been waiting to feel ready for? How long have you been waiting—and is it possible you’ve been calling fear “wisdom” or “waiting on God”?
4. Lois and Eunice never saw where their ordinary faithfulness would lead. Who has spent that kind of quiet, unimpressive faithfulness on you—and have you ever told them what it meant to you?
5. Who is watching you the way Timothy watched Paul, whether or not you agreed to it? What are they currently learning from you that you didn't intend to teach? Do you have a Timothy? Do you have a Paul?
6. What is the next thing—not the whole plan, just the next faithful thing Jesus is asking you to do? Say it out loud. Then name someone in this room who has permission to ask you about it before we meet again.
Call to Worship | Psalm 37:3-7a
Trust in the LORD, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.
Confession of Faith | The Apostle’s Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Maker of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell.
The third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost;
the holy catholic church;
the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body;
and the life everlasting.
Amen.
