Training Biblical Leaders the Apostle Paul's Way

Paul was very active in training biblical leaders. His letters to his young apprentice of the faith, Timothy, can give us great insight on leadership. In some instances Paul refers to Timothy as his son in the faith. In II Timothy 2:1-2 Paul is encouraging Timothy to lead the church, and gives instructions to him about ways he can do this. Timothy has learned a lot from Paul by watching and observing his life, and listening to his teachings. Paul reiterates this, that he wants the teachings that Timothy learned from him to be passed on to others.

In verse one, it states: "You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus". (NIV) In this first verse we see the intimate relationship that Paul has with Timothy, by the reference Paul makes to him as "son". This type of a relationship is comparative to the relationship that Jesus had with the twelve disciples, in that He walked with them, talked with them, and lived every day life with them. They learned as a result of being around him, rather than just listening to his teachings from time to time.

This type of close relationship between a leader and a follower is a great model for training biblical leaders. Many times when leadership is mentioned, a person automatically thinks about leading and influencing a large number of people. Yet this is not the example that Jesus set, nor is it the example that Paul is setting here. They both realized the importance of a leader concentrating their efforts on pouring out their best into a small, selected group of individuals. Those who want to lead today would do good to follow this example. Instead of spreading themselves too thin trying to lead large groups, they could pray and seek the Lord to find out who He wanted them to share their life with. In doing so, a chain reaction of quality biblical leaders can grow and be nurtured.

Next, Paul instructs Timothy to be "strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus". (NIV) It is not an option for biblical leaders to let their relationship with God suffer so that they may concentrate more on their leadership responsibilities. The essence of the Christian faith is founded on relationships. Our relationship with God was broken with Adam and Eve's sin, yet mankind’s relationship with Him was restored with Jesus' death and resurrection from the grace. If someone seeks to lead a group of Christian people, they must first of all lead by example in maintaining the most important aspect of the Christian faith, which is a personal, intimate relationship with God.

It would be interesting if a random survey of Christian leaders was taken today, to see how many of them would say they were strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus? I feel that several could testify truly that their relationship with God was strong, but somehow I feel that most would have to honestly confess that they were weak in their walk with God. The demands, stresses, and pressures that go with leadership sometimes take a leader away from their spiritual center. Leaders must adamantly guard the sweet presence of God in their life, and realize that is where they draw their strength for any and all accomplishment. As the Scriptures say, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13, NKJV), and "...without me, you can do nothing". (John 15:5, NKJV)

Verse two says, "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others". (NIV) The word "and" in the beginning of this verse causes us to look back to the first verse, realizing that Paul instructed Timothy to not only be strong in the grace of Christ Jesus, but also in the things that he has heard Paul say. At this point, Paul was emphasizing the legacy that he left with Timothy.

While Paul probably, and most assuredly, taught Timothy things one-on-one, in this verse he mentions the things that Timothy heard him say in the presence of many witnesses. Therefore, Paul was bringing to remembrance to Timothy of who he was, what he believed, and how he conducted himself in everyday life. This is the essence of what it means to leave a legacy. And although Paul did not have to remind Timothy of these things, he did it in this verse to instruct Timothy of the strategic plan he had developed to continue developing and training biblical leaders.

These things that Timothy had learned from Paul were supposed to be taught by Timothy to reliable men who would also be able to teach others. In this instance, we have four generations of biblical leaders. The first is Paul, second is Timothy, the third is the reliable men that Timothy chooses, and the fourth are the others that these reliable men will teach. This is a strategic plan for all the church on discipleship and growing biblical leaders.