Discipleship - Part 1 Series

I begin this message with a quote from Richard Wagamese, a native Canadian Ojibway Indian:

“Storytelling, the act of one voice talking, sharing experience, observations, learning and teachings is becoming a lost art. Even though everyone from every culture has an oral tradition, we have ceased to be storytellers and lost touch with our original voice.

When a tradition diminishes or disappears we lose on two counts. We lose the richness of the tradition itself in our lives and we lose the spiritual, ethical and cultural underpinnings of that tradition. With a shrunken capacity for storytelling we lose these crucial skills:

* Listening: The ability to focus on a message and concentrate on what is being told to us.

* Hearing: The ability to form an emotional reaction to both words that are spoken and to the speaker.

* Integrating: The ability to frame a story within our own experience and to discern personal meaning from it.

* Sharing: The ability to personalize a story and offer it to others with our own emotional and spiritual interpretation in the telling.

In short, we lose the ability to make ourselves known to each other. We lose crucial community, family, home, team and nation building abilities. Without story and without storytelling much of who we are is lost, misinterpreted or misrepresented.”

I share this quote because a similar thing has happened when it comes to biblical discipleship…it is disappearing from the church and thus we are losing the ability to make Christ known to each other and to the world.

As their Rabbi (Master), Jesus' disciples followed Him wherever He went. They watched Him intently; they studied and imitated Him. Jesus used stories and parables to transfer God’s words and ways to His disciples. He took them out, led them out, and then He sent them out, to put into practice what they learned.

Jesus' followers are called to continue this process of "making disciples" (Mat. 28:19-20). Each Christian should be hanging out with a more "seasoned" believer who models and teaches the Commands of Christ AND each Christian should be doing the same with a newer, younger believer.

1.) The Root of Discipleship

In 1 Timothy 1:2, Paul refers to Timothy as “a true son in the faith.” In 1 Corinthians 4:17, he calls him, “my beloved and faithful son in the Lord…” The use of these titles probably means that Timothy was spiritually nurtured by Paul.

When Timothy was a child, his mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois taught him the Scriptures (2 Tim. 1:5; 3:15).

When Paul arrived in Lystra on his second journey, Acts 16:1-2 tells us that Timothy was a disciple who was well-respected by the believers, and so Paul asked him to accompany him. Timothy’s father was a Greek, and Timothy had not been circumcised. Because they would be ministering to many Jews and because Timothy’s mother was Jewish, Paul had Timothy circumcised (Acts 16:3).

Timothy not only accompanied Paul but also was sent on many crucial missions by Paul (Acts 17:14-15; 18:5; 19:22; 20:4; Rom. 16:21; 1 Cor. 16:10; 2 Cor. 1:19; 1 Thess. 3:2, 6).

For example, when Paul was unable to go to Corinth, he sent Timothy to represent Paul and his teachings (1 Cor. 4:17).

1 Cor 4:17 - For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church.

Later when Paul was in prison, he sent Timothy to Philippi (Phil. 2:19). Paul felt that no one had any more compassion and commitment than Timothy (Phil. 2:20-22).

Phil 2:19 But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state.

Phil 2:20 For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state.

Phil 2:21 For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.

Phil 2:22 But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel.

Phil 2:23 Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it goes with me.

So close were Paul and Timothy that both names are listed as the authors of six of Paul’s letters (2 Cor. 1:1; Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:1; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1; Philem. 1). In addition, Paul wrote two letters to Timothy (1 Tim. 1:2; 2 Tim. 1:2).

As Paul’s ministry neared the end, he challenged Timothy to remain true to his calling. His words were, “This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare…”(1 Tim. 1:18).