MINISTRY IS TEAMWORK
Paul accomplished many things for God, but he didn’t do it alone. God provided people like Luke, Barnabas and Timothy to help him. Every Christian needs a Luke, a Barnabas and a Timothy in their lives.
As a young pastor, Timothy was trained by Paul. A ‘Paul’ is someone more mature and experienced to give us wisdom and guidance. Each servant of God needs to know someone more mature in the faith and learn from them. Paul himself had Luke as a mature mentor to travel with him and give guidance when needed.
Paul had Barnabas as a friend and companion. A ‘Barnabas’ is a peer to share common experiences with as we journey through life together. Do you have a friend to share your struggles and victories, someone you can go to for help or prayer?
Finally, Paul taught younger pastors, like Timothy and Titus, to build his life into. A ‘Timothy’ is someone younger in the faith to advise and help grow as a person. We need to look for those with potential to minister and help them in any way we can.
We need all three of these in our lives. We need younger people whom we can train, friends our age we can depend on and someone older and more experienced than us to help guide us.
I have some men who are experienced in life whom I can go to for guidance and advice when needed. I have some friends that are in my same stage of life to share my problems and successes. And I have younger men in ministry that I can encourage and help teach.
We all need a Paul to hold us accountable, to ask the tough questions, to offer insight, to give us encouragement and direction. Remember, the lone sheep gets picked off by the lion, so we need to connect closely to those who have had experience fighting the lion.(I Peter 5:8) Components of life such as business, pride, fear of disclosure, or moving around a lot, make it hard to find and keep a ‘Paul’ relationship going, but it is well worth the trouble. It will take a bit of sacrifice and vulnerability. It requires time and honesty. But it is essential for you to be all God created you to be as a person and servant. Mentoring is important and effective. Even Paul needed a ‘Paul’ in his life!
2 Timothy 1:3 I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 6For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
Exodus 18:13-14 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. 14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”
Who is your ‘Timothy’? Who are you taking the time to really disciple in the faith?
Who is your ‘Barnabas’? Who is your closest ministry friend (not mate) with whom you can share your victories as well as your defeats?
Who is your ‘Luke? What mature believer have you developed a mentoring relationship with so you can regularly connect with them to learn from their wisdom and experience?
If you lack any of these make that a regular prayer request.
What can you do to deepen your ‘Paul’ relationship and get the most out of it?
cto Rev. Dr. JERRY SCHMOYER
Christian Training Organization
Jerry@ChristianTrainingOrganization.org
(India Outreach, Spiritual Warfare, Family Ministries, Counseling, World View)
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