Today, I want to talk to you about the importance of one. As a leader, you may often feel challenged or even frustrated when it comes to leadership development. However, there is a biblical model of investing, developing, and mentoring others that is a great example for us to follow. It’s a great example for those in our church to follow and be reminded of. Let’s take a look at that.
While there are other examples in Scripture, I want to start with Barnabas. Barnabas is an unsung hero in my opinion, because he exemplifies what it means to multiply yourself. In Acts 9 after Paul’s conversion, the disciples didn’t want anything to do with him. Who would want to, after all he had attacked the early church. However, Barnabas comes alongside him and later those two invest in others.
The interesting thing about this is when we look at the Book of Acts and we look at chapter 11, we also see that Barnabas mentored John Mark. And in the final verses of Acts 15, where Paul and Barnabas part ways, what happens? Well Paul’s ministry continues on and so does his. But Paul’s ministry continues to impact the early church in other ways, the church of Antioch forms and then from Antioch to many cities.
Paul also invests in Titus, who invests in Crete, and the churches in Crete then produce elders, and older women who mentor younger women, and older men who mentor younger men, and it goes on and on.
We see Paul moving to Timothy moving to faithful men who go and do likewise and then the church of Ephesus forms which then leads to the churches of the Revelations.
Developing and modeling development for others has an ongoing impact for the Kingdom. And our legacy is not about the things that we accomplish or achieve on our own, it’s about the people we develop. Your fruit grows on other people’s trees. Now that you understand the impact of one, what are you going to do about it?
