Text: Philippians 4:2-3, Title: Intervention, Date/Place: NRBC, 11/11/12, AM
A. Opening illustration: A discipleship book that I am very found of describes the stages of the Christian life
in NT terms: lost, infant, young believer, mature believer. And when they get to mature believer, they also
speak of them as a spiritual parent. The implication there is that spiritual parents are supposed to be having
spiritual children (not in the Mormon way), but one possible shortfall of this approach is that people think that
they need to be very mature, a super Christian, or someone called to ministry to disciple others. When in the
bible and on the mission field, the first thing that new believers do is go and tell and begin to make disciples.
B. Background to passage: mark of a growing disciple—making disciples. We have seen that growing disciples
are marked by increasing spiritual fruit, faithfulness in spiritual disciplines, actively sharing their faith,
modeling biblical lifestyles, increasing in the knowledge of God, and have a strong commitment to the
church. Today we look at making disciples. There are many passages about Paul, Peter, James, and John
making disciples. Even some about Timothy, Titus, Barnabas, and Silas, but I wanted to find one with
someone a little less known. In fact, this person is completely unknown. But they embody what it means to
be making disciples. Paul asked the true yoke fellow to intervene in the lives of two ladies in the church.
C. Main thought: So what does that mean? How do you make disciples
A. The Situation (v.2-3)
1. Very little is known for sure about these women. Commentators vary on many issues, but here is a list
of things that we can be fairly certain of: these women were church members, not outsiders. They were
friends, at least at one time. They were well known in the congregation, probably long time members
(the church had only existed about 13 years. The dispute wasn’t doctrinal, but it was significant enough
for Paul to mention, and to require a third party to intervene. We also know that these two women were
ministering with Paul while he was there. So these two ladies were at odds over something related to
church or personality, and Paul asked some guy to help. We only know that a masculine pronoun is
used, so even though several think that this is Paul’s wife, it has to be a man. People have suggested
Epaphroditus, Timothy, Luke, and others. Some have even thought that this was a proper name.
Obviously everyone in Philippi knew who he was talking about. But the word means genuine companion
or partner.
2. Argumentation
3. Illustration: we all know church situations that end up like this.
4. This is a reminder of the damage and danger to the church caused by broken and strained relationships.
Good people have serious issues sometimes that they need help with. It’s OK, get help. So why am I
connecting this fight and making disciples? Because what the true yokefellow is doing is discipleship.
What is a disciple? A follower of Christ. So when we are told to make disciples, it is much more than
sharing our faith. Making disciples is about helping people to be better followers of Christ.
B. The Evaluation
1. These two women were active in the church. They had a relationship with each other and with our
yokefellow. Based on this relationship, Paul asked him to seize or grab them and help them work it out.
And the church is supposed to support this process. Lots of applications to the church, but that’s for
another sermon. Think about the process of discipleship that Jesus and Paul used.
2. Argumentation
3. Illustration: talk about me and the relationships I have with deputies, with coaches, with college students,
with church members, with older pastors, with family.
4. So what does making disciples require? Relationships. A believer must have relationships in order to help
others follow Christ better. It requires time. Sometimes this is more formal and intentional, sometimes it
is more casual and unplanned. A believer must spend time with those he is trying to help. This can take
a lot of forms from written communication, Skype, Facebook, porch sitting, working together, recreation,
dinner dates, etc. And the mindset is not that the other person is a project, but that we are all on a journey
pursuing Christ together, and a major method of growth is rubbing shoulders with other believers,
engaging in stimulating conversation, bearing burdens, sharing joys. A danger of our electronic, security
system, air conditioned, email, cell phone society, is isolation. Even in churches, especially larger ones,
deep relationships can be overlooked, intentionally or unintentionally. But there needs to be a mindset in
us that all of our relationships are to be making disciples and being made disciples.
C. The Application
1. Completely random relationships, such as store clerks, waitresses, airplane seat people, etc., are ones that
you really can prepare better for from an evangelism point of view. But when the opportunity arises, care
for them, try as best you can to get to know them
2. First, let’s examine casual discipleship. Normally these relationships are ones where you are in contact
with these people regularly or intermittently. Coworkers are a good example. Classmates. Neighbors are
another. These people what your lives. They pick up on things that you do, philosophies, your speech, and
your life goals, but they do it from a distance. These require less thought, but more consistent example.
For these relationships you need to be ready for hints and clues that God is working in their lives. You
have to be quick on the draw to put a “plug” in, or offer and invitation to church or a more formal
conversation, or a quick piece of advice. You have to figure out where they are, love them, and move
them toward Christ in small increments.
3. Let’s also look at intentional and more formal. These are relationships related to ministries at church,
deeper/longer friendships, counseling/burden bearing, regular studies. Small groups are one place, but
the best discipleship happens one on one, or in groups of 3-4. This is an area that we often neglect.
Sometimes there is material, sometimes not. We used to meet with three young couples weekly in Maine.
Counseling, which by the way, many of you do much better than me. You are competent to counsel.
These can be triads or bible studies. They can be regular golf games or irregular hunting trips. Don’t feel
like that if the person is a stronger Christian than you or in leadership, that you don’t have things to teach
them. These relationships are about learning to follow Christ together.
4. Then let’s think about constant discipleship. This last category is for those relationships that are the most
intimate. Relationships like people that you live with, or extremely close family members. Sometimes we
don’t think about them being discipleship, but they are. You are supposed to be making disciples of your
children, spouse, nephews, nieces, roommates, brothers and sisters, and even your parents. You need to
give this regular thought, because these relationships are so regular, and have so much that wouldn’t be
considered discipleship.
5. Argumentation
6. Illustration:
7. So, how are you doing? Think about those relationships in your lives. The way that a business evaluates
productivity is by displaying it’s product. So where are your disciples? That is the question that Jesus
should ask of the church as a whole, and also we can ask of individuals. What progress toward following
Jesus better would you say is in the lives of those around you. You can come to me, and I will help you in
your discipling of that coworker, child, neighbor, church friend. I have never had that happen. Don’t just
ask, how many people have I impacted over the years, but ask how many people am I discipling right now.
Sometimes we wonder why church members never seem to get past first base, and stay spiritual infants for
a long time, but often it is the fact that we don’t make disciples out of them. Show me your disciples!
8. Many of you are doing this already, and many of you need to step up in your homes, your places of
business, and in this church. So if you are doing it, keep it up. If you are not, use this time to make a plan,
get some resources, invite another to walk together with you.
A. Closing illustration: Three people walked with William Cowper (the author of 68 hymns including
There is a Fountain Filled with Blood) throughout his 48 year battle with depression, enabling him to
maintain his sanity and be used of Christ in mighty ways. Dr. Nathaniel Cotton and Mary Unwin were
two, but the most important was John Newton (former slave trading seaman, and author of Amazing
Grace). For almost 35 years Newton was “the dearest and most affectionate friend a man could have.”
During this time there were many dark nights of despair, three suicide attempts, four complete mental
breakdowns, three stints in insane asylums, much weeping and despondency, and out and out terror.
Cowper’s descriptions of his depression describe a nightmare of existence for those 48 years. But
Newton constantly wrote, met with, and cared for Cowper, enabling him to write thousands of poems
which were recognized by some of the world’s greatest writers for their beauty. These things would not
have happened apart from the discipleship of John Newton
B. Recap
