READING: Discipleship Partners
“You, however, have followed my teaching.”
2 Timothy 3:10
Have you ever thought about how you’ve come to be the person you are today? In the apostle Paul’s second letter to Timothy, he described the various means by which God had grown and developed young Timothy:
“You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. . . . But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:10-17)
First, Timothy’s life was grounded in the Word (the “sacred writings”) that showed him what to believe, rebuked him when necessary, placed him back on the right track as needed, and trained him in righteous living. It was via that Word that he would be equipped to do what God called him to do. Second, he learned that Word “from childhood” – particularly, from his mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois (2 Tim. 1:5). Thus, it was his family that first founded his life on the Word of God. Third, Timothy learned faith by walking with Paul, who allowed his protégé to see everything from his patience to his persecutions. Paul invited Timothy into his entire life, and Timothy was more prepared to be faithful under persecution as a result.
This combination, it seems to me, is a great picture of effective discipleship. It begins with the family, and the Word of God must be its foundation. In the home of their family of origin, young people learn about God. Then, disciples in the family also receive discipling from another brother (or sister, for females) in the context of the church. The mentor (in Timothy’s case, Paul) doesn’t replace the family; he complements it. In that sense, the church partners with the family to make disciples. Nobody does it alone, and all come out stronger in the end.
ACTION STEPS:
- If God has given you Christian parents and grandparents, thank Him.
- Invest deeply in your own children, and then also be open to walking alongside other parents as they raise their children.
PRAYER: “Father, thank You for Your Word, and for family, and for mentors in the church.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Jeremiah 20-21, 2 Timothy 4