Paul’s Challenge, Our Prayer

A Challenge

 

You then, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus; 

and what you have heard from me through many witnesses 

entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well.

2 Timothy 2:1-2 

 

I am mindful, as one year ends and another begins, that we, as a VantagePoint3 (VP3) community, continue to live and grow and serve in the wake of Paul’s threefold encouragement in 2 Timothy 2:1-2. Paul exhorts a younger leader, Timothy, to: 

 (1) Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus: We need to rely on the renewing, creative, and sustaining grace of God. Life calls forth from us a recognition of our own limitations and vulnerability, and invites us to delve deeper into the grace and power found in Christ. As Jesus speaks to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). 

 (2) What you have heard from me through many witnesses: We need to remember the influence of the many different “witnesses” in our lives–those who have entrusted to us what they learned along the way. What is it that you have received and learned from others? 

(3) Entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others: We ourselves need to pass on what we have received, by entrusting others who will also pass it on. We must not hoard what we have been given. Paul underscores the generativity of this spiritual ministry. With whom are you entrusting what you have received and learned so that they might develop others too? 

Paul’s challenge has woven its way through our ministry’s developmental mindset and mission since day one. 

A Recent Noticing

Earlier this month, I received a text from a pastor and friend of VP3. He wrote,

I got one of your VP3 emails and it reminded me I need to share with you. We recently got our church leadership together and shared about significant spiritual events in their lives. While we haven’t had VP3 in a while, story after story brought up the ongoing value of their VP3 experience. Many talked about how deeply it impacted their lives and set the course for future growth. To me, it illustrates the long-term impact VP3 has. Just wanted to share this blessing with you. 

Such an encouragement to us! 

These words immediately resonated with me. They surfaced in my mind what I had been experiencing recently; they named a gratitude I was holding onto. 

Over the past few months, as Dr. Pam Edwards and I have led leader trainings on the newly refreshed Journey process in Chicago, Sioux Falls, Detroit, Kelowna, and online, I have been particularly mindful of the long-term impact VP3 has on people’s lives. We had conversation after conversation with key leaders, first impacted by VP3 5-10-20 years ago, who are now putting their imagination, heart, and efforts into the deepening and developing of adults in their varied contexts. 

It is humbling and inspiring to get to be a small but significant part of so many folks’ formation and vocation. Grateful to the Lord.

A Horizon

The Christian life is a relational way of life that is transmitted—caught as well as taught—face-to-face, life upon life, keeping company with God and others. Our communities, organizations, and neighborhoods need leaders who befriend and mentor and guide and come alongside others; in short, people for whom a mentoring way becomes their primary mode of life and ministry wherever they are placed, whatever their responsibilities. 

Beyond simply telling people how to live, we need to provide “a leadership of companionship” in our contexts that actually helps others be freed up to discover more deeply who God is, who they are, and what God wants them to be up to in their community and in the world (Walking With Others: Stage Three, page 13).

A Prayer

So I find myself prayerful for our ministry as we move into a new chapter with the refreshed Journey process. May The Journey and its accompanying leader/facilitator training retreats continue to be a catalyst for depth and maturity, bearing fruit in many adults’ lives and Jesus-minded communities, as they have for the last 25 years. 

Or put another way, may we as a VP3 community of friends, partners, board, and team members, continue to have the ears to hear and obey today the Apostle Paul’s challenge and call to Timothy. 

You then, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus; 

and what you have heard from me through many witnesses 

entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well.

2 Timothy 2:1-2 

Let the name of Jesus live out… 

 

Join Us in Making Space →

Half of VP3’s yearly ministry budget depends on the financial partnership of our greater community. Your gift today helps us continue this sacred work of formation and mentoring—training leaders, developing processes and resources, and offering companionship to individuals and communities hungry for depth and renewal. Thanks for journeying with us. 

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Robert Loane serves as President of VantagePoint3 Ministries, seeking to both learn and encourage a more relational way of life and ministry. He is co-author of Deep Mentoring: Guiding Others on Their Leadership Journey (IVP, 2012) and A Mentoring Guide: Christ. Conversation. Companionship (VP3, 2019). At the core of his life and work, Rob loves helping people find ways to have better conversations about the things that matter most in their lives.