The apostle Paul had begun the church in Ephesus on his second missionary journey (Acts 16:1-5). He had devoted two years of his ministry to preaching and teaching in that great city, starting numerous other churches in the surrounding area as a result (Acts 19). Ephesus was also a center of idol worship and contained many spiritual forces working against the early church. To this important church, Paul commissioned his young companion Timothy. There were those who were teaching certain doctrines that were unbiblical and which concerned the apostle. Rather than going there himself to correct the problem, Paul sent young Timothy.
Timothy apparently struggled with timidity (2 Timothy 4:7). He probably was less than enthusiastic at settling controversy or confronting those whose theology had drifted off center. But that is what Paul asked him to do.
If we are to help people mature as leaders, we must be prepared to entrust them with difficult tasks. We can’t simply shield them from their areas of weakness, focusing only on their strengths. Paul understood that fear, and worse yet, cowardice, was lethal to a godly leader. Paul, in his typically thorough manner, was determined to leave no stone unturned in developing Timothy into a first class leader. What is it you are doing to take people around you to a higher level?