A Barnabas and A Timothy - Part One

2 Timothy 2:2 - KJV
“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”

2 Timothy 2:2 - NLT
“You have heard me teach many things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Teach these great truths to trustworthy people who are able to pass them on to others.”

There are few things stronger than the bonds of a close, and carefully nurtured relationship of a mentor and a mentee.

What is a mentor?
The word mentor originates from Homer's Odyssey where Mentor had the role of bringing up Telemachus while his father was away at war. While mentoring relationships take many forms, the one familiar to most people is when an older person (the mentor) guides, tutors, coaches, or otherwise influences a younger person (the protege). This is the kind of relationship Mentor had with Telemachus and that Paul had with Timothy.

The level of empowerment that results from mentoring is directly proportional to the depth of the relationship.

“Mentoring is a brain to pick, a shoulder to cry on, and a kick in the pants.” - Richard Tyre

People do what we inspect, rather than what we expect.

There are numerous benefits to being in a mentoring relationship:
• A mentor promotes genuine growth and change
• A mentor provides a model to follow after
• A mentor helps you reach your goals
• A mentor plays a key role in God's pattern for your growth
• A mentor's influence benefits others in your life

Mentoring in the Bible
There’s few better life examples of the Biblical mode of mentorship than the Apostle Paul’s life.

Paul’s journey into the inner circle of early church leadership clearly hinged upon his relationship with Barnabas.

Before the apostle Paul was ever the leader of the Gentile church, the great preacher and church planter, he was someone who needed a mentor.

We don’t think of Barnabas as a prominent New Testament figure. His name is not one of the first that we think of when we contemplate the most powerful Biblical figures. But the fact of the matter is without Barnabas, there would have never been a Paul.

This means there would have never been a book of Romans, Corinthians, Galatians or Ephesians. No Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians or the rest of the epistles in the Bible.

God has a plan for raising up great men and women in His kingdom and that plan is personal mentorship. I’m glad His plan isn’t politics, or wealth… I’m glad God’s plan doesn’t leave me out in left field all by myself to figure out my gifts and callings.

God has outlined a clear plan of mentorship for you to become all that He called you to be!

Before Paul was an anointed apostle, he was Saul… on the road to Damascus. He was a man looking for the fulfillment of his calling and meets God in dramatic fashion on this lonely road.

God doesn’t expect us to find our way from Damascus to Jerusalem alone!

He has sent men and women into our lives from whom we can glean strength and endurance for the great things God has in store for us and for those to whom we will one day minister.

Check back soon for Part Two of A Barnabas and A Timothy.

Leading Together

"It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity...From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work" (Ephesians 4:11-13a, 16).

Consider the different spiritual gifts that God places under the hood of the leaders of the church. God doesn't honor one "silver bullet" style of leadership. God didn't intend these leaders to go off into their own corner of the church and do their own thing. Verse 16 paints a picture of the unity that a diverse team of leaders can enjoy. Some leaders provide muscle. Some provide bone. Some supply the ligaments and tendons. All weave themselves together and grow in love until only one things is visible—Jesus.

I can't accomplish that type of beauty all by myself. In all my years of serving, I will never be able to transform my department into the Body of Christ—not by myself. Neither can you.

We desperately need to operate in teams if we ever want the product of our energy to be Jesus. The good people that God has surrounded you with weren't placed there to be extensions of you. And for that they are thankful.

You might very well be the point person. But you aren't the only leader in your ministry. God gives leadership to churches and ministries in sets of two or more. Do you remember when Elijah had his emotional meltdown on Mount Horeb and told God that he was the only one doing the Lord's work. Somehow he'd forgotten his conversation with Obadiah where 100 of God's prophets had been protected. That's 101 leaders (counting Obadiah) with whom Elijah could do ministry. When God ended Elijah's retreat at Camp Prozac, he instructed Elijah to create a mentoring team with Elisha.

God is not so cruel to make you do ministry alone.

These ideas were adapted from the book Lead the Way God Made You.


Leading Together
Larry Shallenberger