"But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel."

- Philippians 2:22

Paul and Timonthy have a deep relationship. You can see it here: "as a son with his father." And throughout Paul's writings he shows clear affection when he mentions Timothy.

What was it that bound them together despite their generational differences? You get a glimpse of it in this passage.

Paul and Timothy partnered in the gospel story. God's good world has been corrupted by evil and God has acted in history to redeem and restore it ... ultimately living and loving and dying and rising again to break the power of evil in the world and to set us free. This is the big story of the gospel.

Paul and Timothy made big life commitments on the basis of this story. And this drew them together.

The gospel story is a relationship generator. It brings people together across class and ethnic lines, across gender barriers and political divides, even across generation gaps.

This is a mark of those who follow Jesus: we have relationships across gaps, divides, barriers and lines.  This is both an individual mark of people who follow Jesus and a coporate mark of authentic Jesus-following.  We want to be a church filled with people across racial, political, and socio-economic lines that typically divide us. 

Where has God's big story generated relationships in your life? Are any of them surprising?

What do you think it would take to become a church that breaks down barriers and generates relationships across normal dividing lines?

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