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Martin Luther had a younger associate Melancthon. They both highly respected each other but were very different. Luther was strong, bold, like a hurricane. Melancthon was like a gentle spring rain. Paul and his protégé Timothy were similar. Paul was the strong leader and discipler. Timothy was Paul’s faithful disciple or learner but struggled with a timid spirit. As we’ll see, Paul loved Timothy and Timothy loved and served alongside Paul like a son with his father.
Let’s review 2 Timothy quickly. This letter to Timothy is Paul’s last communication in this world. He’s in prison in Rome under the murderous monster Nero. Nero burned Rome and blamed the Christians causing the persecution of Christians to increase. This was Paul’s second and last imprisonment in Rome. He may be in the Mamertine dungeon reserved for the worse criminals. We know he is in chains (2 Tim. 1:16) awaiting his coming execution three miles outside the city of Rome. This was sometime between AD 64-68. He hopes to see Timothy before his execution, but we don’t know if Timothy ever made it from Ephesus to Rome. In this last and most important letter, Paul the discipler charges Timothy the disciple to guard the truth in chapter one, teach the truth in chapter two, apply the truth in chapter three, and preach the truth in chapter four. I want to look at Paul’s salutation in verses 1-5 as a discipling relationship.
DISCIPLESHIP
Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
What is a discipling relationship? It is one person influencing another person to grow in Christ. I’m not talking here about a special program. Christ commanded each of us to go and make disciples or learners. In Acts all believers were called disciples. In Acts 11:26 the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. In Acts 14:21, “And after they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch.”
Discipling is another way of describing the entire process of seeing God grow His church. Discipling starts with evangelism when God uses you to draw a lost person to Christ. That leads to edifying, which is the process of teaching and applying the truths of the Word. Then comes equipping as believers discover how God wants to use them with their spiritual gifts in serving in the body of Christ. Evangelism, edifying, and equipping are three phases of discipleship.
So as Paul writes to Timothy, he is writing out of a discipling relationship. Paul is committed to helping Timothy grow as a leader in Christ, and Timothy is a wonderful disciple, a learner, willing to be instructed and discipled. Every believer should be discipled and become a discipler to some extent – in the church, in your family, friendships, acquaintances. There are five features of a discipling relationship in Paul’s salutation given in verses 1-5. We can all learn, because we’re all disciples, whether you’re a newer believer or you’ve been a believer for a long time.
A LIFE TO EMULATE
2 Timothy 1:1, Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus,
As Paul pens this final word to Timothy, he identifies himself in the role to which God Almighty has called him, an apostle of Christ Jesus. A monster sits on the throne of the most powerful empire in the world as Paul, the apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, sits in a dungeon, awaiting execution. That’s typical of this world. Everything is upside down and backward. But even though corrupt rulers are in the seats of power, God is in control and Paul’s relationship to Christ is as strong as ever. Every believer represents the calling and work of Christ in his life, regardless of circumstances, and we need to keep God’s purpose central in our minds. In this first verse Paul points to three aspects of God’s purpose for each of us as God’s people.
1. You have a calling. Paul was called to be an apostle. He was officially sent out by Christ Himself with the authority of Christ, to represent Christ, to lay the foundation of the church (Ephesians 2:20). There are no apostles today. Any claiming to be apostles today are false teachers and cults. Timothy wasn’t an apostle, but Paul wants Timothy to remember that he too has a calling from God, and so do each of you. Timothy was called to be a pastor-teacher and an evangelist. God has called you and gifted you for a ministry. Discipling is encouraging others to pursue God’s calling, whatever it may be.
2. Your submission and obedience to God’s will. Paul says he’s an apostle “by the will of God.” He didn’t just decide one day, “I think I’ll be an apostle.” No, God’s will was revealed as Christ came to him that day on the Damascus Road. And here at the end of his life, Paul is still living under the will of God, even in this miserable prison. Just because suffering enters your life doesn’t mean you’re out of the will of God. God’s purpose is for you to be submitted to the will of God, regardless of your circumstances, trials, disappointments.
3. Your focus must be on the gospel “promise of life” in Christ. The essence of Paul’s commissioning was to proclaim the promise of life, the gospel. Paul will weave this gospel of life throughout his letter. How ironic. Paul is a prisoner facing death by beheading, and here he’s talking about God’s promise of life. Paul is sending a powerful message right here.
Do you hear Paul whining, complaining, accusing God? He’s not saying, “What did I do to deserve this? God, I’ve served you all my life and look where it got me – into this dirty, cold, filthy dungeon awaiting my death.” No! He remembers God’s great call on his life, and he wants Timothy to keep that gospel message that brings life to dead sinners front and center. Jesus assures us, “I’ve come that you might have life, and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). In a world full of death, Paul’s message was of life! And that same message discovered by Luther changed the world. “The just shall live, truly live, by faith alone in Christ alone!” We were all dead in our sins and separated from God, but every believer has this promise of life now and for all eternity. As you face every new day, you have the promise of life. When you are plagued by a disease, maybe a deadly one, you have the promise of life. If you face deadly bullets on the battlefield, you have the promise of life. When you make a horrible mistake, God’s promise of life still holds.
Paul’s life is one for Timothy to emulate. His calling, his obedience to God’s will, and his zeal for the gospel of Christ. Paul knew the promise of life in Christ Jesus. These are the priorities that Paul wants to pass on to Timothy, his disciple. And Timothy will pass them on to others.
A RELATIONSHIP TO CHERISH
2 Timothy 1:2-4, To Timothy, my beloved son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Paul is writing to Timothy, his closest human relationship. And he couldn’t be more affectionate than these words, “my beloved son.” This expression is only used elsewhere of the Father’s love for His Son at Jesus’ baptism and on the Mt. of Transfiguration. Can you imagine how this expression “my beloved son” must have encouraged Timothy? Most sons would love to hear those affirming words coming from a father. Timothy’s father was a Greek and an unbeliever as far as we can tell. But there’s one man who entered Timothy’s life there in Lystra many years ago and has been Timothy’s loving spiritual father.
Do you have something of this heart love for others in the body of Christ? Jesus Himself said your spiritual family is even closer than your human family (Matt. 12: 46-50). Paul so freely expressed his love to God’s people. First Thessalonians 2:7-8, “But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children. Having thus a fond affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.”
Then Paul commends for Timothy’s life those three wonderful blessings: grace, mercy, and peace. Paul usually says, “grace and peace,” but here he adds mercy. He only includes mercy in his salutations to Timothy. Grace is God’s unmerited but abundant strength and power for every task and trial – His grace is sufficient. I like to think of grace as “soul fuel.” Mercy is God’s compassion and readiness to forgive. We all make mistakes, especially in working with others, and need to be forgiven and encouraged by God. And peace is that inner sense of assurance, that courage-giving sense that you are accepted by God through Christ who is your righteousness.
Notice, these three gifts flow like a rich, flowing stream right out of the heart of God, from God the Father and Christ Jesus and I’m sure the Holy Spirit as the triune God always works together. Thank God for these blessings. Count on them. Live in grace. Live in divine mercy, live in God’s peace. We need all three every day. Discipleship includes a relationship to cherish.
MOTIVATION TO GRATEFUL PRAYING
2 Timothy 1:3, I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day,
Paul had a huge heart to carry such a grateful loving concern for so many people, and here specifically Timothy. When he remembered Timothy, which was often, he prayed, “Thank you, Lord, for dear Timothy. What a blessing he is to me and others.” And how Timothy must have been encouraged to hear this from the great apostle Paul. Paul knew Timothy’s spiritual growth, humility, unselfish spirit was the work of God in his heart.
Right along with that grateful spirit was Paul’s commitment to serving his God with a clear conscience. You can’t serve God with a conscience all dinged up with unconfessed sin, like mud splattered all over your windshield. You need a clear conscience. Paul doesn’t mean he didn’t fight with his own flesh – he did, just like every believer. But he dealt with his sin, kind of like spraying your dirty windshield with that special washer fluid so you can see again. Thank God for 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Discipleship includes learning to deal with sin God’s way as Proverbs 28:13 says, “If we cover our sin we won’t prosper, but if we confess and forsake sin, we’ll find mercy.”
If you’re having a tough time with someone, just start thanking God for them. When you’re thanking God, you’re not frying and burning them up in that gas grill of your mind. Thank God for people God is using in your life, and then tell them. Paul was quick to let others know how thankful to God he was for them. Whenever Paul prays, Timothy pops up in his memory and he thanks God for him. Imagine our whole church daily remembering one another with thankfulness to God for them, and then praying for their spiritual good and blessing and growth in Christ. Discipleship includes a life to emulate, a relationship to cherish, gratitude in prayer, and…
A FELLOWSHIP TO ENJOY
2 Timothy 1:4, longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy.
Longing means yearning, intensely desiring. Paul intensely desires to see Timothy before his execution. He will urge Timothy to come before winter and bring his cloak he left at Troas, but even more, just to enjoy some time together with his disciple, his protégé, dear Timothy. Timothy probably shed tears when Paul left him in Ephesus. These weren’t forced crocodile tears, but tears flowing out of Timothy’s sincere and loving heart. While Timothy struggled with areas of weakness, he did not feel intimidated by Paul or fearful of him. Paul was not a self-righteous critic who constantly reminded Timothy of his faults and failures. In response to Paul’s genuine concern, Timothy became a grateful learner who received Paul’s counsel with appreciation. People are more apt to respond positively to difficult counsel when they know you love them and want their best. That’s discipling.
Seeing Timothy brings great joy to Paul’s heart. Paul’s greatest joy was in seeing believers growing in Christ. Third John 4 expresses this so well: “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.” Paul knew the heartache, too, when people you’ve prayed for, you’ve spent time with, encouraged to live for Christ, and then they get swept by the cheap thrills and desires of the world. Paul grieved over Demas: “Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world” (2 Tim. 4:10). Parents know this grief when they watch their loved children turn away from Christ, lured by the world, the flesh, and the devil.
This is the discipler’s heart: expresses love, thanks God, spends time together, and finds great joy in the disciple’s spiritual well-being.
A FAITH TO ENCOURAGE
2 Timothy 1:5, For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.
Abraham Lincoln said, “No man is poor who has had a godly mother.” Timothy was doubly blessed with a godly mother, Eunice, which means “good victory,” and grandmother, Lois. Some think Lois was at Pentecost when Peter preached and then took the gospel back to Lystra. Or Paul may have led Eunice and Lois to Christ on his first missionary journey. We know from chapter three these two women taught Timothy the Scriptures that led him to faith in Christ. These two women simply shared their love for Christ with their child with no idea he would eventually be discipled by Paul and end up pastoring the great church of Ephesus!
How many testimonies have you heard of mothers and even grandmothers taking time to teach the Scriptures to their children and grandchildren? There are many. What a high and noble calling this is – none is higher! For every mother and grandmother here – let Grandmother Lois and “good victory” Eunice be your model! Second Tim. 3:15 – From a child (a brephos, the earliest age) inculcate the Scriptures into them by direct teaching and by attitude and practice. Don’t let them leave your home without at least knowing that “Mother definitely took God’s Word seriously.” And grandmothers, make sure they know Jesus is #1 in your life. Talk about God’s Word as you drive in the car. Give them the hope you have in Jesus. Tell them how thankful you are for Jesus. Sing songs about Him. May they say, “Grandmother told me about Jesus every time I went over there as a kid.”
There are moms and grandmothers right here in our church just like Lois and Eunice. These ladies remind me of one of church history’s ladies named Monica from the fourth century. She prayed fervently and longed for her wayward son Augustine. As a young man he was immoral and enamored by philosophy. Monica followed him from northern Africa to Italy. You’ll remember Augustine was sitting in a garden in Milan and heard a child’s voice singing “tolle lege,” meaning take up and read. He picked up what was nearby and began reading Paul’s letter to the Romans and came to Christ. Monica heard about her son and lifted her heart to God, “Praise to you O Lord, for You are able to do far more than we can even imagine. You have turned my mourning into joy.”
Paul was convinced Timothy’s faith was genuine, unhypocritical. He wasn’t faking his faith in Christ. His faith wasn’t a mask he put on or off depending on where he was or who he was with. It wasn’t a Sunday thing or a religious thing you think about occasionally. Sincere faith is a gift from God. It is not something you try to work up. True faith in Christ controls your life. It sticks with you. It indwells you and motivates you. That’s sincere faith. Paul saw this in Lois and Eunice and also in Timothy and was quick to encourage him in his faith. That’s the discipling relationship, encouraging the faith of others.
SO WHAT?
This discipling relationship is God’s design for the body of Christ. Who are you influencing for Christ? Who is influencing you for Christ? Keep God’s purpose front burner in your life. Feel free to express your love and joy for God’s people. Be quick to encourage others you know who are sincerely seeking to please God with their lives. Take time before God to regularly thank Him for those people who are in a discipling relationship with you.
Finally, would Paul say the same about your faith? Do you have that sincere faith that comes through hearing the gospel of that promise of life in Christ Jesus? Do you have a faith in Christ that makes a difference in your life?