Who Is Your Barnabas? Who Is Your Timothy?

Just the other day I was a part of a Bible study where we were asked if we had a “Barnabas” and a “Timothy” in our lives. You see in Acts 9 we learn of Paul’s conversion. What an amazing story about a man who turned from a life devoted to persecuting believers in Christ to a man devoted to teaching about Christ and Him crucified and raised from the dead. But Paul ran into some obvious resistance in Jerusalem when he tried to join in with the disciples. This is where Barnabas steps in and takes Paul under his wing (Acts 9:26-30). It is so important in this life to look for a spiritual mentor. Sometimes they fall right into our lives and other times we need to go looking for them, but either way we are never at a point where we have it all figured out. A spiritual mentor will challenge you and encourage you as you walk down life’s road.

At this Bible study a young man asked, “Am I old enough to have a ‘Timothy?’” We quickly affirmed with a “Yes.” No matter what your life’s circumstances and spiritual maturity there is almost always someone who you can mentor and encourage whether they are 5 or 75. It will cause you to raise the bar for your life as you seek to encourage another. You see Paul’s relationship with Timothy was the opposite from his relationship to Barnabas. Paul found a young man who he saw was eager to learn and grow in Christ and he wanted to build him up to be a mighty warrior for Christ in the next generation. I would encourage you take a few moments and read I &II Timothy this week. Put yourself in Timothy’s shoes and you will begin to feel the encouragement that he felt as Paul blessed him with much wisdom in his letters. I truly believe this was God’s design for people to continue in a loving relationship with Him. God desires us as His body to build each other up. What a wonderful cycle of mentoring and being mentored that ensures that we will always be making disciples as Jesus commanded in Matt. 28.

So again I ask you, “Who are your Barnabas and Timothy?” If these relationships have intrigued you please make sure you join a growth group as next week we begin a study on “Authentic Relationship!”
__ Will Tucker