Goodbook messages arrive every Tuesday and
Friday with a Scripture reading and ideas for how to apply the reading in our
lives. We are reading through the book of Acts. For additional Scripture
reading, you can follow the Advanced Track.Reading: Acts 19:22
22 (Paul) sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer.
Application:
It is remarkable to think of all that the Apostle Paul accomplished. He played a major part in spreading the Good News about Jesus beyond Jerusalem throughout much of Europe and Asia. Along the way he was part of forming countless communities of faith. He wrote much of the material that is found in our New Testament. How did he accomplish so much?
He had help. First and foremost, Paul had help from God. But Paul also had lots and lots of human helpers in his ministry. We hear about two in this reading: Timothy and Erastus. These helpers allowed Paul’s ministry to extend beyond himself. Together their impact was multiplied exponentially.
One of my ministry mentors once said, “It is a sin to do ministry by yourself.” That sounds pretty harsh, but I have come to believe this more and more with each passing year of ministry. If I do something by myself, I deny others an opportunity to be a part of God’s work. And if I do something by myself, the breadth of impact will be limited by me. I can only reach as far as I can reach and do as much as I can do. Yet when we engage helpers, there are no limits to what God can accomplish in and through us.
I think most of us want helpers, but how do you get them. Here are two ideas I have been learning and incorporating into ministry…
1) Pray for helpers. In Matthew 9:35-38, Jesus tells his disciples to pray that God will bring more and more people to help with the vast mission field. God answers this prayer.
2) Invest in others. Paul was very intentional about developing helpers who develop helpers. Here is a simple outline of what this can look like. I’ve been able to use this with ministry leaders and my five-year-old son. Step 1: ICNU (I See In You). Pay attention to the gifts people have. Point out their gifts and ask them if you can invest in them as a leader. Step 2: I do, you watch, we talk. Step 3: I do, you help, we talk. Step 4: You do, I help, we talk. Step 5: You do, I watch, we talk. And Step 6: You do, someone else watches, we talk. Jesus used this model of relational investment, as did Paul. I’ve found it really works. If you’d like more in depth details about the process, send me a message and we can talk more about it.
Who can you help? Who can you invest in to help you?
Share your comments and application ideas…
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