Well, welcome to Integrity: The Best Foundation, the book and video series designed to help you live and lead with integrity.

Now, today, we're going to study two very important aspects of erecting the Pillar of Trust. In our last session, we considered the value of trust and how to build a trust account with someone. Today, we're going to see two things that are very important. The first one is this: Trust can be transferred to someone else's account. Just as you can transfer money from someone's account to another person's account, so you can transfer trust. And in the story of Saul of Tarsus, there is a man by the name of Barnabas who invested his leadership currency into Saul's account. He chose to come to Paul's side and give him a chance. And by endorsing Saul, Barnabas invested in him. And when Barnabas extended trust to Saul, it inspired others to also consider giving this man a chance.

I remember meeting with a primary leader in Armenia, and this man led a group of churches. A friend of mine named Mark introduced me to Rafael. I thought Mark would say, "I'd like you to meet my friend Bill." That would pretty much be the introduction. Instead, Mark took time to transfer his relationship currency into my account. He told Rafael, "This man is my friend." And then he told him about my family, my work, our relationship; and he ended by telling the story of how something I had done had influenced him.

I was overwhelmed. I thought, "Was this the way introductions are done in Armenia?" Mark's endorsement caused the Armenian director to look at me and say, "If you're Mark's friend, then you're my friend; and I trust you, and extend the same trust that I have in Mark to you."

Mark gave me an amazing gift. He deposited some of his trust into my account, and as a result, that endorsement opened doors of opportunity to me in Armenia, and I enjoyed doing significant work there. And as I worked, I was determined that I would do all I could to return honour to Mark; and he transferred trust to me. But I knew my success could transfer trust back to Mark.

So, trust can be transferred. But secondly, trust will be tested. There will come a time when your trustworthiness will be tested; and when that test comes, embrace it as an opportunity to advance your reputation. Trusts typically transform trust levels, either for good or for bad. So remember, when a significant test arises, it will certify whether or not you are trustworthy.

Saul had struggled to gain trust. It was a major challenge for him. A group of former associates, they banded together and wanted to kill him. Apparently Saul's new lifestyle so outraged his former colleagues that they put together a plan; they were going to kill him. And at first, the faith community doubted the validity of Saul's change. But his former associates believed; they believed his change was authentic, and Saul had abandoned them. He spoke openly about Jesus, and he even assisted church members to avoid the danger his colleagues had created. Saul would learn about their murderous plot, and his former colleagues were set on killing him. But he refused to change; and when the faith community saw Saul's commitment even to the face of such grave danger, they trusted him.

When trust dies, suspicion grows, and mistrust blossoms. There's an Irish proverb that says, "When mistrust comes in, love goes out." Now, trust can take years to build, minutes to break, and years to rebuild.