The last two weeks we have looked at two types of people we need to have in our lives as demonstrated by the life of Paul. We need a Barnabas, a mentor in our lives, that will “pour into” us. We also need to a Silas, a peer or colleague, who we can count on in good and bad times. There is a third type of person we need in our lives according to Paul: a Timothy, a protégé.
We know much more about Timothy than we know about Barnabas and Silas. Timothy was a young man; whose mother and grandmother were both Christians and whose father was a Greek. Paul met Timothy and his family in Lystra. Paul saw potential in Timothy just as Barnabas had with Paul. He invited Timothy to accompany him as he ministered throughout Asia Minor. Timothy spent time with Paul up until his arrest in Jerusalem. It is apparent from the book of Acts that Timothy was mentored by Paul with the express purpose of Timothy being able to go and minister on Paul’s behalf.
Timothy was delegated by Paul to go to Thessalonica, Corinth and ultimately Ephesus. Even after Paul’s arrest and imprisonment, he continues to mentor Timothy from afar. He received two letters from Paul giving him advice on ministry, and encouraging him to stay strong in the faith.
Paul saw such leadership potential in Timothy and invited him to join him on a journey. On that journey Timothy learned from Paul and was a comfort to Paul as his ministry came to a close. It was Timothy whom Paul addressed in his final letters. And it was Timothy whom Paul encouraged to seek out and mentor more leaders (2 Tim. 2:2). It was this model that continued on as the early church matured.
Paul didn’t just mentor Timothy. He also mentored Titus who ministered on Paul’s behalf in the churches they had visited. Paul also wrote Titus a letter which encouraged him to stay devoted to the faith, much like the one he sent Timothy.
We need to have someone in our lives that we are “pouring into”, someone who is our protégé that we are intentionally mentoring. We need to have someone in whom we see leadership potential. Someone we want to develop as a leader in their home, in their vocation, in their church and in their community.
As we look at the life of Paul we see three types of people we need to have in our lives.
· We need to have a Barnabas, a mentor- “pouring into” our lives.
· We need to have a Silas, a peer or colleague- doing life with us.
· We need to have a Timothy, a protégé- we are “pouring into”.
Conversation:
- Who is your Timothy?
Recommended Reading
Think about the people who influenced your life most.
Why did they do it? What did they do? How did they go about it? Answer these questions and you will be hooked on mentoring for the rest of your life.
In As Iron Sharpens Iron, respected authors Howard and Bill Hendricks show that the most dramatic spiritual and personal growth often happens through the influence of a mentor.
Rooted in biblical principles, this book is both a profound and practical guide to mentoring relationships for men. You'll learn how to:
- Identify the kind of mentor you need
- Maximize your mentoring relationship
- Model your relationship after biblical examples
- Grow through the shared wisdom of another believer
- Influence others as you replicate the mentoring process.
Whether you are looking for a mentor or wish to mentor someone else, this book provides specific steps to begin the relationship and make the most of it.