Following his “sharp” division with Barnabas, Paul set out with Silas to revisit the churches he and Barnabas started on their first missionary journey. In Acts 16, rather than taking the original route, Paul visited the cities in reverse order, beginning with the region of Derbe and Lystra. There, Paul connected (or reconnected) with a young believer named Timothy.
Paul and Silas would collect Timothy and take him along on their mission, but why? What did Paul and Silas see in Timothy that caused them to believe in his future leadership potential? If you desire to lead, what should you be doing to become qualified to lead?
Leaders are Learners
Acts tells us that Timothy was a believer. A believer is also known as a disciple, and a disciple is nothing more than a learner. If you want not lead others, you must first be a follower and a learner. Like Timothy, until you are willing to follow, you are not qualified to lead.
But, that isn’t all. Timothy was a learner, but he was also apparently serving well. He was well-spoken of by the believers. Before Timothy earned Paul’s stamp of approval, he was serving among his local church. If you want to lead others, you should be serving and learning right now.
Leaders are Recognized By the Church
If you desire to lead, do not demand respect. Earn it. Timothy’s church noticed Timothy and commended him to Paul and Silas. In Christian leadership, it is the responsibility of a local church to recognize and set apart leaders. If you desire to lead in Christ’s church, focus less on your platform and more on investing in the opportunities right in front of you in your local church. But, also remember, the greatest attribute for Christian leadership is not giftedness, but godly character.
Character is the foundation upon which leaders exercise their gifts. As you work on crafting your gifts, do not neglect your character. When Paul teaches Timothy in 1 Timothy 3 how to identify leaders in the local church, every qualification except one (the ability to teach) is a character qualification, not an ability qualification.
Leaders Sacrifice for the Mission
Timothy was a young man with a mixed ethnic background. His mom was a Jew, his dad was Greek. As a result, he had never been circumcised. Circumcision did not matter for Timothy’s acceptance among Greeks or even among Christians, but if Timothy hoped to have ministry among Jews, he needed to be circumcised. His circumcision was not a requirement from the Lord, but was instead an effort on Timothy’s part to remove barriers for sharing the gospel.
Leaders in Christ’s church are called, with all believers, to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Jesus. Timothy was more concerned with Jesus than he was with himself.
Timothy was willing to sacrifice. Are you? Timothy knew that he was not required to be circumcised, but he was less concerned with his own rights than with the need for others to hear the gospel.
Leaders don’t allow their rights to disqualify them from sharing the gospel with others. Instead, leaders willingly sacrifice for the mission.
If you desire to lead in Christ’s church, you too must be willing to sacrifice for the mission. Will it be easy? No. If it were, it wouldn’t be a sacrifice. But, it will be worth it to see others gain access to God’s kingdom
