SWORD OF THE SPIRIT                                                                                               1402

“Paul, Barnabas, and Timothy”

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. – 1 Corinthians 11:1

In our prior devotional, #1401, we examined God’s Word concerning our fellowship relative to the world around us and in the Body of Christ.

If we are not careful, our fellowship within the body of believers can have a predominately ‘social club’ characteristic as opposed to relationships that promote Christian growth in faith.

This is why we all need at least three key relationships within the fellowship of believers: a Paul, a Barnabas, and a Timothy. This applies to both men and women, and it is prudent that we keep our respective three relationships to be of the same gender as we are: men with men, and women with women.

Who is your ‘Paul’? – A ‘Paul’ is someone who can mentor you in your walk in the faith. They are persons of Christian integrity – not perfect by any means – but people who have walked the path of faith longer than we have and have learned much from the Scriptures and their experience in walking with the Lord. They will always counsel you with the Truth of the Word of God, pointing you always to Jesus and His Word. They mentor you, not with what they think, but rather with what they have learned from the Holy Scriptures and their experiences from walking with Jesus.

I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel; So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. – 1 Corinthians 4:14-15; 1 Thessalonians 2:8

Who is your ‘Barnabas’?  – A ‘Barnabas’ is someone that you do life with. A close friend and fellow believer who is walking the path of following Christ as you are. They love you but are not impressed by you. They are not ‘yes people’ – they will encourage you and advocate for you but will be honest with you and rebuke you in love if necessary.

Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement) – Acts 4:36

But Barnabas took him (Paul) and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. – Acts 9:27

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. – Proverbs 27:17

For whom are you a ‘Paul’ or a ‘Barnabas’ – Who is your ‘Timothy’? – Initially, when we first come to faith in Jesus and are born-again, we need a spiritual mentor and a friend and encourager in the faith.  We need to be discipled as we get our ‘faith legs’ under us.

As we grow in faith and experience following Christ, we are called to serve as we have been served and to be willing to mentor and encourage others. We now should share Christ as a ‘Paul’ and encourage others in their faith walk as a ‘Barnabas’.

Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech… But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control – Titus 2:7-8; Galatians 5:22-23

Your ‘Timothy’ mentee will find you based upon the integrity of your life walk and the evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in your life. We cannot force a mentor – mentee relationship upon others. Your life example speaks volumes, and your mentee will seek you out. Will you be willing to serve?

 Your ‘Timothy’ is someone that you are discipling, counseling, praying for and with, sharing the Truth of God’s Word, and counseling them in the daily application of His Word. This can be a child, grandchild, neighborhood friend, or co-worker.

The Paul, Barnabas, and Timothy relationships are not bound by the four walls of a church building. The Body of Christ, His church is vast and is founded on the Truth of the full Gospel of the Word of God and transcends Christian denominational lines.

When he (Jesus) saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” – Matthew 9:35-38

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:18-20

May you answer His call to receive, grow, and in turn disciple and encourage others in the faith.