Acts 16:1–3; 2 Timothy 1:5; 3:14–15 · ESV memory verse below
Timothy Learns the Scriptures
Who is this?
Timothy was a young disciple from Lystra. Lois and Eunice taught him the Scriptures. Paul asked him to go and help tell about Jesus.
What happened?
From childhood Timothy knew the sacred writings that make wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. He was ready to go.
The story
In Lystra lived a disciple named Timothy. His mother Eunice was a believer. So was his grandmother Lois. They taught him the sacred writings while he was still a child—long before he traveled far from home.
The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of Timothy. When Paul came through, he wanted Timothy to accompany him. Timothy was young, but he was faithful.
Timothy went with Paul. He learned to serve churches, to teach, and to care for people. Paul later called him a true child in the faith and remembered the sincere faith that lived in Lois, in Eunice, and in Timothy.
Paul wrote: continue in what you have learned. From childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. God still uses homes that open the Bible—and young people ready to go.
Memory verse (ESV)
and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 3:15
Talk about it
Ages ~4–7
- Who taught Timothy—friends only, or family too?
- Did Timothy go with Paul?
Ages ~8–12
- Why does learning Scripture as a child matter later?
- What does “wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” mean?
- How can a young person set an example for believers?
Family activity
Read one short Bible paragraph together. Let a child retell it. Say 2 Timothy 3:15, then thank God for Lois-and-Eunice kind of homes.
Parent take-home
Read Acts 16:1–3 and 2 Timothy 1:5; 3:14–15. Notice the home that planted Scripture and the young man ready to go. Practice 2 Timothy 3:15—salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
Talk on the way home
- Who taught Timothy the Scriptures?
- What did Paul want Timothy to do?
- How can our home open the Bible with children this week?
More family reading ideas: family Bible study guides.
In the PDF: coloring page, memory verse with blanks, plus kid activities (sequence). Number the boxes 1–4 in story order, or cut and rearrange.
For parents and teachers
Keep the home and the mission together: Lois and Eunice planted the word; Timothy grew ready to go with Paul. This is not a teenage self-help talk—it is Scripture making wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Celebrate reading the Bible with children.