MAKING DISCIPLES
“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” II Timothy 2:2
The pattern and priority of biblical discipleship is abundant in both the Old and New Testaments. We are to be trained to live and serve the Lord, and we are to be involved in training others. A disciple is a student, learner, or pupil. We are to be followers and learners of Jesus Christ. As believers, we are also challenged to transfer to others the things God has given to us. This is Paul’s charge to Timothy in our text. The things we have heard we are to “commit” to others. This is a charge that directly concerns every Christian and every church. One of the responsibilities we all have is to reproduce ourselves in the lives of others. This can be done formally or informally, individually or in a group.
We are truly blessed, having received truth as a result of what others have invested in us. For some of us, we can think of a Sunday School teacher, parent, preacher or pastor, faithful friend, spouse, or some other who helped us understand and apply truth from the Scripture. Where would we be without these life-changing principles found in the Bible, and the personal interest of those who cared enough to teach us? Thank God for those who have sacrificed to make certain the Word of God has remained available for succeeding generations. We owe a great debt to those who have cared enough about the Lord’s Word and His work to transfer to others the things they have learned.
We must personally take the matter of discipleship seriously in our lives and ministries. We are commanded and obligated to share with others what we have learned of the truth. Let us always be ready to share our personal faith in Christ with those who will listen. Observers need to hear and see the power of applied Bible principles demonstrated in our daily lives. We should seek to teach Bible doctrine to members of our family and to friends. One of the most rewarding investments of our time would be an involvement in a systematic plan of leading another person in studying the basic truths of the Bible. It is a blessing to find someone who is eager to learn and grow in the faith; it is even more rewarding to see him begin to share his faith with others. For the sake of the gospel, we should be committed to making disciples.