Making Disciples
“You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.”
I love movies with strong mentor/mentee relationships. Yoda and Luke Skywalker, Mr. Miyagi and Daniel, Uncle Ben and Peter Parker, or Mickey Goldmill and Rocky Balboa. There is something about these relationships that draws us in, something that stirs inspiration in us and awakens us to our own desires for this kind of relationship.
What if I were to tell you that those stirring desires are not a director’s success at pulling on your emotions, but are actually God-engrained longings for something bigger…personal discipleship?
In this passage of 2 Timothy, Paul is writing to a young church leader, Timothy, whom he has been mentoring and preparing to lead his local church. And in this passage, Paul gives Timothy some of his final instructions, “Take what I have taught you, and teach it to someone else.” In other words, keep the message going.
As Paul himself faces death, he encourages Timothy to pass the gospel on to faithful men who will in turn teach others, so that the gospel is preserved for coming generations.
There are two things that come to mind when thinking about Paul and Timothy’s relationship in the New Testament:
01. Discipleship is Necessary
Notice Paul’s motivation for Timothy to continue the discipleship process, “…entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” Did you know that the message of the Gospel has never spread faster than in times of persecution? Even today, Iran is experiencing a surge of new converts at an average annual rate of 5.2%. Why? Because Christians there know how important it is to share this message and preserve the Gospel. They are constantly faced with death for Christ and feel an immediate urgency to tell the good news of Christ to as many people as they can…before they are possibly killed.
Our culture, obviously, is a lot different. But does that make the need for urgent discipleship any more watered down? Of course not. However, could the problem be that in our Western context we view making disciples as a possibility instead of a necessity?
02. Discipleship is Responsive
I would guess if I were to ask you right now who helped lead you to Christ, most would have an answer right away. For me, it was a veterinarian named Tim who wore Hawaiian shirts every day. There are few days that go by when I don’t think about the investment Tim made into me as a young high school student. Why? Because it were those conversations that gave me the opportunity to respond. Would I accept this message he was helping me discover, or would I reject it?
When you and I respond to Christ’s call on our lives, we are also responding to His call to make disciples. Jesus’ ministry was responsive. The disciples didn’t walk away from His teachings saying, “Wow, that was neat. Okay, let’s carry on.” No, they were changed! They responded. They left their families, friends, and livelihoods to follow him and to call others to follow. Jesus calls us to Himself and then calls us to His service, the two cannot be separated.
Who is God calling you to walk with in the gospel? None of us will do discipleship the same. All of us have different gifting and areas of influence, but all of us will point to the same One who unites us together under His message of love, mercy, and acceptance.