Proverbs 27:17
"Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another."
I'm a huge fan of ministry that moves us beyond siting and listening to a lecture and moves into the "life on life" model. Namely because we see Jesus and his Apostles demonstrate this type of ministry in the New Testament. So the question is, why are these kinds of ministries so few and far between? Why is it more common to find a group of people (mostly men) comfortable with hearing a lecture or talking about EVERYTHING except the bible or their relationship with the Lord? The answer is one word, insecurity. Why we are insecure about these things is a topic for another time, but the importance of "iron sharpening iron" is what we are here to identify and what I will try to help you develop it as a priority in your life.
When you go into trades work (or any kind of work for that matter) you are going to have someone who takes you under their wing to help you learn the job (if you have a good employer, that is). Mentorship is built into part of the pay scale in the trades, you start as an apprentice before moving into becoming a journeyman or a fulltimer. If you have worked in a trade for decades it is assumed that you will have learned something that you can pass along to the next wave of hires or generation. If you haven't learned anything worth sharing in your career you'll probably become dead weight and not be able to stay in one place for very long.
As Christians we are expected to be people who live as disciples of Jesus, that is to follow Jesus, obeying his teaching, conforming ourselves to his image. One of the things Jesus did is train up disciples who followed after the kingdom of God even after he wasn't with them. A main reason this is possible (remaining in the faith even after your leader is gone) is because of the model that includes "iron sharpening iron."
We all struggle to push through the discomfort of vulnerability so let me give you a heads up; those who push through the discomfort and invite brothers to "sharpen" them have a life of blessing ahead of them.
Accountability in areas we are alone in.
A lot of the time we find ourselves alone and struggling with sin, temptation, or spiritual laziness. When you invite brothers to "sharpen" you, there is hope because you are held up by your brother's support. When you feel "alone" in an area of weakness it is natural for us to retreat into isolation so that we aren't reminded of our shortcomings. This is how your life becomes toxic and hopeless. When you give people the space to speak into your life, you don't find yourself alone anymore and this is a blessing men!
Leadership in areas we are lacking.
Ultimately we are to be following the leadership of Jesus but in this life it's vital we have dependable brothers to lead us towards christ. Much like any team you've ever been on, you need to have peers that lead you, in sports we call them captains. Every team needs them and as christians we need them. In faith we simply need faithful men in our lives not fancy ones!
When we allow brothers to sharpen us we become more aware of how we can help others.
Our faith is not intended to end with us, we are supposed to overflow into others but this isn't possible when we are alone. No matter how far along you are in the faith you can always find someone needing you to invest in them and help them along. We can't do this alone. It's obvious that we can't be around people when we are alone but it's not obvious that there are brothers that need us. You may think you don't have anything to offer, but this isn't true. You have brothers that need you!
You don't need to change everyone, actually you don't need to change anyone. Our job is to encourage and sharpen each other as we mutually follow our Lord together. Be encouraged brothers, be faithful brothers, and be present brothers.