"And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others."
This verse has made my wheels turn for the last 15 years. It's a charge to multiply, to spiritual reproduce. It's a commission given by the Apostle Paul to his young disciple, Timothy. Paul is passing the baton. But, it's more than that. Paul is urging Timothy to pass it on to others as well. I notice 4 generations mentioned in this passage: "And the things you (2nd generation, Timothy) have heard me (1st generation, Paul) say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men (3rd generation) who will also be qualified to teach others (4th generation)." This is what disciplemaking is all about. Spiritually reproducing ourselves in spiritual reproducers.
Recently, I have begun two journeys that have made my heart beat a little faster. On Thursday mornings, I join Keith Smith in discipling 3 young men in our church. We have started exploring what the Bible is and what its story is from 30,000 feet. I'm simply passing on the spiritual lessons that I have learned from my mentors. Last week, I heard that one of these young men repeated our week's lesson to several friends. Count 'em. That's 4 generations!
I started this same kind of discipleship with my oldest son, Grant. For several years, I have been taking one of my kids to breakfast on Fridays. Today, Grant and I began more intentional training. I'm not sure which direction we'll head. But, I just know that I have a responsibility to be strategically spiritual with him...to deposit whatever I have learned into him. That's discipleship. Hopefully, I'm preparing him for a lifetime of disciple-making. And, I'm looking forward to the future generations that may walk with Christ because of the investment that I make now. Soli Deo Gloria!
2 comments:
Is discipleship simply "passing on" knowledge/information/theology?
I'm sure you would say it is more than that. Would you give a brief definition of discipleship that includes, but is more than just passing on theology.
Dear anonymous,
Thanks for asking your question. I went back and read my blog entry and am not sure where you might have thought I was suggesting that discipleship "is simply passing on knowledge/information/theology." Perhaps that is something that you have heard somewhere else and are exploring my point of view. :-)
I would say that discipleship (specifcially "disciple-making") is passing on the WHOLE spiritual life. By "passing on," I mean walking with someone to help them understand, embrace and live out the truth (I used the metaphor of a baton---not something that a runner throws to his teammate, but hands off and ensures that the other runner has a firm grasp of before he lets go). Discipleship is based on a solid foundation of sound doctrine and includes the development of vision, knowledge, character and skills. It is being changed by God to change our world (see my mission statement). I think the core competencies at Pantego Bible Church are a great short list of beliefs, virtues and practices to explore as a growing disciple.
In short, I would say that disciplemaking is: the intentional process of helping another person discover Christ and live the life of Christ as He intended.
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