The Christian Apprentice Series

Back in the 1930s, Radio was King, and TV hadn’t caught on yet. Radio was the main way people got news and entertainment. I remember my dad telling me about my grandfather. Granddad loved the Lone Ranger, and he would get off the tractor and run to the house when that show came on so that he could sit in front of the radio in time to hear “Hi Ho Silver. Away!” And my granddad would be glued to that radio for the next 30 minutes.

Most programs back then were live (not pre-recorded). And so, in 1936, (I’ve read) that there was a major incident in a NY radio station. There was an important message being transmitted from England, and just a few minutes before it was air, somebody tripped over the main wire and snapped it in two. The staff was frantic.

That broken wire had been the station’s only connection to receive that major broadcast - and now it was broken - and if something wasn’t done quickly, in moments, the air would go dead and the program would never be heard. It was just then, that an apprentice grabbed the 2 broken ends of the wire and (thru his body) bridged the gap and the broadcast was saved. When I heard that… I thought “Sure. That’s not gonna happen.” But then (online) I found a copy of the NY Times article that told of a similar incident 6 years earlier.(https://www.nytimes.com/1930/01/22/archives/man-grasps-broken-wires-to-complete-circuit-so-radio-audience-may.html)

It was an APPRENTICE who saved the day for the radio station. It was an apprentice that used his body to allow the message to be heard.

An apprentice is a person who learns a trade or craft from a skilled professional, and then they go on to be skilled professionals themselves. Electricians have apprentices. So do Plumbers, Construction companies, Health Care Suppliers and more. Apprentices are often trained ON the job, and in addition, there are also classroom teaching as well. So, when their apprenticeship is completed that person has learned an important skill or trade.

You know, Jesus had an apprenticeship program. He chose 12 UNskilled men … and became their mentor for 3 years. And when Jesus was done with them those 12 apprentices became the bedrock for the church. They became the men who guided and protected God’s people. And they literally turned the world upside down - all because Jesus had worked with them for 3 years.

Now here in II Timothy, we find Paul telling Timothy to get himself some apprentices. “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:2

Why did Paul tell Timothy to do that? Why tell Timothy to ENTRUST what he’d learned about Christ to faithful men? Well… because that’s the game plan for the Church. That’s how the church is supposed to function.

Before Jesus ascended into heaven (after His resurrection), He told His followers: “Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20) "Make disciples!" That’s 1st century talk for – GET YOURSELF an apprentice! Find somebody that you can train to be part of the bedrock of the congregation. Take what you know, and train someone to serve Jesus.

In Matthew 28 Jesus is telling us that that’s how the church is supposed to work. As far as Jesus is concerned – You’re either on the outside looking in. You’re a non-Christian trying to figure out whether you want was Jesus has offered; OR you’re an apprentice (trainee). You’re being trained to become part of what makes the church a powerhouse for Christ; OR you’re a mentor (coach). You’re supposed to find people to train/ challenge as apprentices you can help to grow in Christ.

ILLUS: Years ago, there was a man at a church I served who came up to me and said: “I don’t know why more Christians aren’t like me.” And he went on to list the various things he did in church. And he DID do a lot in the church. But you could tell he was bragging. He really didn’t care that others weren’t serving like he was. He just wanted me …to know he was BETTER than others in church.

I prayed about that for a bit… and then I remembered a Scripture from 2 Corinthians 3:18 that says: “We all, with open face beholding as in a glass (in a mirror) the glory of the Lord. (We) are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (KJV)” When I read that scripture, an image of a staircase came to mind: From GLORY TO GLORY – step by step - we climb closer to the image of God. And the idea is… that the longer I walk with Jesus, the further up the staircase I’ll go, and the more I take on the image of God.