“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. The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 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.” Acts 16:1-3 NIV
Perhaps these verses stood out to me because I am a male. But having grown up playing sports and always wearing protection, when I read of adult circumcision my heart sinks with the thought of someone agreeing to the causing of pain and discomfort to such a sensitive area.
Paul understood the crowd that he would be speaking to, and knowing that Timothy had not been circumcised, this would have been a stumbling block for those he would encounter. It would have also brought about contention and opposition among the Jews while slowing down, or even worse, destroying his usefulness in ministry.
Then we have Timothy; the one who Paul wanted on his journey and who ultimately agreed to be circumcised. We don’t read or know of Timothy’s thoughts on this, all we read is that he had it done.
It would be well for us who serve in the church today, to adopt the same spirit as Timothy. To oblige as he did. To submit as he did. To proceed in ministry not because of it being convenient for ourselves, or because it works with our schedule, but to grow Christ’s church and to strengthen it in faith despite any discomfort that may be placed upon us.
The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of Timothy (verse 2) and this was before he became circumcised. May those in our circles – our workplace, school, church, and neighbours, be able to speak well of us.
Lock Your Wings 
That stood out for me too because how would they even have known?🤷🏻♀️
I thought this was a good point:
“When the police reported this, the city officials were alarmed to learn that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens.”
Acts of the Apostles 16:38 NLT
“Don’t you know who I am?” is a common thing big headed celebrities use to get their own way. They believe who they are means a special privilege. Roman citizens would have had more rights than others and realizing who they were would have been alarming. May we all have the same reaction to our fellow humans who are the sons and daughters of the King.
LikeLiked by 1 person