Paul And Timothy

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. (II Timothy 2:1-2)

          Almost as soon as I got to college, I met someone who thought I was someone else. There were five Karens on my dorm floor, and she mistook me for one who had filled out a survey. Before long, I was a member of a Christian discipleship program and remained with them for three years. There were pros and cons to the group, but they taught me the power of this passage. It’s been 35 years since then, and I wish I could find a program of its type for older adults.

          Paul had learned from God. He had taught Timothy and others. Now Timothy was to teach others, who would teach others. As an ad from a few years put it, “and so on, and so on, and so on….”

          This is the model on which we should be building our lives. We find a good mentor (AKA life coach and finding several to help teach us in different areas of our lives is helpful.) This person needs to have honest access to our lives. The pastor of a church, teaching on Sunday mornings is cannot be close enough to the congregation to be everyone’s mentor. Mentors must hold us accountable for our decisions and acts. They’re there to teach, correct, reprove, and train. And we’re supposed to then find others that we can help, teach, correct, reprove, and train.

          Some folks take the “God and Me Is Enough!” approach, or the “My friends and I are all the Church We Need” approach. The problem is that we tend to be blind either to our faults or our strengths and our friends – if not equally blind – tend to not want to hurt feelings. A mentor has a measure of objectivity and a measure of authority. We need this sort of person in our lives.

          If we followed this pattern taking on two disciples each year, and with them taking on two disciples the following year, by the end of 10 years, there could be 4000 people whose lives are being influenced. We and our world would both be better for it. So in addition to yesterday’s question of “Who are your Onesiphoruses, Phygeluses, and Herogenes?” we have another question. Who is your Paul, and who are your Timothys? If you are lacking either, ask God for them.