As I debriefed 2016 with a friend, we reviewed one of our greatest disappointments. We sent a team off with high expectations. For a while they thrived, but then, as the year wore on and the pressure came, they buckled and ended poorly.
We were left to ask “why?” And I came back to the example of Paul and what he said to his son in the Lord, Timothy.
I can relate to Paul. He spent half his life getting it wrong. The last half his life he imitated Jesus and discipled a few people. And along the way he learned a discipleship secret that he shared with Timothy.
Here it is: Paul invested in his disciples until they became reliable. Then he pressure-tested for reliability to see if his discipleship had taken root.
Then he invested in a few of them until they became sons. And then he invested in those sons until they could stand in for him as Timothy did.
That’s it. Not a seeker-sensitive church or a better worship band or some tech solution. Just a focus on getting disciples to a place of deep relationship and dependability.
As Paul neared the end of his life, he wrote letters to Timothy giving him counsel. I’m posting this blog post today on 2/2/2017 in honor of this secret Paul shares in 2 Tim. 2:2. “The things you have heard me say…entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”
We see that there are four levels of disciples: Paul, Timothy, reliable people, and others. We all start as untested new believers. Many drop out and don’t graduate to the next level: reliability. And most reliable disciples never make it to the kind of deep partnership that looks like a father working with his son. That’s what Paul and Timothy had.
Comments are closed.
Receive updates on the latest posts as Seth Barnes covers many topics like spiritual formation, what if means to be a christian, how to pray, and more. Radical Living blog is all about a call to excellence in ministry, church, and leadership -as the hands and feet of Jesus.
I'm motivated to join God in his global reclamation project. He's on the move, setting his sons and daughters free from their places of captivity. And he's partnering with those of us who have been freed to go and free others.
© Adventures In Missions. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | RSS Feed | Sitemap
I guess it’s in the “not doing it well” that teaches us to slow down and get it right…! Good stuff!!
I love you man! You’re speaking my language and feeding my soul. Thanks for who you are and what you do!
Stay inspired!
Thank you for this.
Thanks, Doug. It looks like you’re doing great stuff w/ Horizon Int’l. Would love to get to know you at some point.