{"id":503,"date":"2015-03-06T19:44:05","date_gmt":"2015-03-07T00:44:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/?p=503"},"modified":"2015-03-06T19:44:52","modified_gmt":"2015-03-07T00:44:52","slug":"discipleship-the-committed-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/?p=503","title":{"rendered":"Discipleship the Committed Life"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Lesson 3<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Discipleship the Committed Life<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">2 Timothy 2:1-13<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In his book, \u201cReal Life Discipleship: Building Churches That Make Disciples\u201d Jim Putman has written, \u201cRemember, discipleship happens when we are in relationship with other believers where real teaching, authenticity, accountability, shepherding, and training are part of our lifestyle. It is the responsibility of all mature believers to learn to feed themselves, then to feed others, and then teach them to feed themselves, and then to teach them to feed others- you get the idea.\u201d He goes on to say, \u201cSpiritual parents are intentional about helping infant, child, or young adult grow up to make more disciples. They think in terms of training and releasing so that the army of God can grow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>One of my favorite Bible verses and the guiding principle of my life is found in Ezra 7:10. Ezra wrote, \u201cEzra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statues and ordinances in Israel. My passion for many years has been to bring people to the point where they love God\u2019s word and have a deep desire to share it with others. In my mind that does not mean that one has to stand before others in a formal presentation but using every opportunity to discuss the Bible in every type of circumstances. Real discipleship means that I am to do everything I can to help others grow.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The only way for a church to continue to thrive for years to come is for those who call themselves Christians is to wake up and understand that body of Christ will last without the effort of each of us to set our hearts to study, practice and teach God\u2019s words. Those who follow us are depending on us to help them grow in the knowledge of the things of God. Sadly, this has not been taking place to the extent it needs to happen. Most statistics would say that the members of the church are basically biblical illiterates, with the figure hovering about 80%. It is no wonder that the same percent of young people are leaving the church by the time they are 18-20 years old. We can turn around that trend if we will just take seriously the concept of discipleship. It will take more than a few people to make this happen. We cannot wait until a child reaches his or her teen years. It must begin when they are children. To disciple someone we must understand that each of us is a learner and follower our entire life. If we believe that fact then our lives can and will make a difference in the lives of others. Paul understood this fact as he continued to advise Timothy while he was incarcerated in a Roman prison.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>2 Timothy 2:1<\/p>\n<p>Paul had just given an example of one who had the quality of the inner strength. Onesiphorus had displayed the perseverance that is needed by believers to face very difficult situations. Timothy would be able to be strong only through the sustaining power of God through the gift of grace that one receives in Christ. A follower of Christ will always find God with him in his hour of need.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Who did Paul use as the example of one who had the quality of inner strength? (Onesiphorus)<\/li>\n<li>What do you see as the qualities of one who has inner strength?<\/li>\n<li>How does a person develop such inner strength? (Through dependence on God.)<\/li>\n<li>What does it mean to receive grace that is Christ Jesus? (To receive the mercy of God to help us in our time of need.)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>2 Timothy 2:2<\/p>\n<p>There was one gospel but Timothy had received his instruction from not only Paul but many others who had witnessed the activities of Jesus or who had learned them from those like the original twelve who travelled about teaching all about the Savior.<\/p>\n<p>Timothy was to use that knowledge of the gospel to disciple those who would carry on the work of Christ, as Timothy was to do so having learned from his teachers. This pattern is the reason that the gospel is still vibrant and alive to this day. The ones with whom Timothy was to spend his time and expend effort were to those who had remained faithful. They also needed to be those who were able to teach others. This carries with it the idea of mentoring. Mentoring would be spending time with a younger believer in the faith and helping them to become a mature knowledgeable follower of Christ.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>What was the one message that Timothy had learned? (The good news of Jesus Christ.)<\/li>\n<li>What did it mean for him to have learned it from Paul and other witnesses?<\/li>\n<li>Who might those witnesses be in Timothy\u2019s day?<\/li>\n<li>What was the pattern Paul put in place for Timothy and the people in the church at Ephesus? (It was the discipleship and mentoring process?<\/li>\n<li>What does it mean to disciple or mentor someone?<\/li>\n<li>What will happen to the church if it loses its focus and no longer continues this process?<\/li>\n<li>Who is someone that you can either mentor or you would like to be your mentor?<\/li>\n<li>What is another way that discipleship can take place? (Within the small group setting.)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>2 Timothy 2:3-4<\/p>\n<p>Paul gave three examples of those who had the inner strength to face whatever circumstance might confront them. Before Paul talked about the qualities of the three he gave a command to Timothy. He called on Timothy to be willing suffer for Christ as he was doing in prison. Timothy was called on to be a good soldier for Christ. Paul goes on to say certain things about those in the military that are also characteristic of a warrior in God\u2019s conflict. He,<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Was not distracted by the things of the world but was totally focused on his duties as a soldier.<\/li>\n<li>Was willing to make sacrifices even if it meant giving up his life.<\/li>\n<li>Was obedient to the one who had called into service.<\/li>\n<li>Understood that his life did not belong to himself but to his nation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>What did Paul call Timothy to do?<\/li>\n<li>Why did he use the example of a soldier in describing one whom Timothy should use as a model of living?<\/li>\n<li>What are the characteristics that Paul admired in the life of a soldier?<\/li>\n<li>In what ways should your walk as a follower of Christ be like that of a soldier? (Commitment, obedience and sacrifice remembering we do not belong to ourselves but Jesus Christ.)<\/li>\n<li>In what ways have you or have not displayed those qualities?<\/li>\n<li>What are you willing to do to correct those areas in which you have failed the master?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>2 Timothy 2:5<\/p>\n<p>The next example Paul used was that of an athlete. Every athlete has one goal in mind. To that end he is willing to use every ounce of strength he possesses to gain the reward of victory that is placed before him. Discipline and self-denial are two of the qualities that every great athlete possesses. He may be committed to the sport in which he participates, but he will not receive the crown given to the winner unless he plays by the rules. Sadly, today there are those who will use any means to win, from taking performance-enhancing drugs to outright cheating. Paul admonished Timothy to give his all to the endeavor for Christ knowing that there would be a crown of glory awaiting him at the end of the journey. In order to receive the reward he must be obedient to the teachings of Christ and willing to stay true to the battle against the evil one until the end. See 1Timothy 1:12 again for the guarantee each believer has. One thing<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>What was the difference between the soldier and the athlete? (He had some control of the outcome by the effort he put into the training.)<\/li>\n<li>What are two qualities that are important in the life of every great athlete? (Discipline and self-denial.)<\/li>\n<li>How are these qualities played out in the life of a Christian? (Our lives are not about us but the goal of the upper call of God.)<\/li>\n<li>What is the importance of playing by the rules? (Even though one may not win the contest he has remained true to himself and that will be remembered long after the time in the arena.)<\/li>\n<li>Who are some of the people we know that have try to skirt the rules of take short cuts in their preparation?<\/li>\n<li>How do we sometimes try to short-circuit the discipleship process? (One way is not be prepared as a teacher to open God\u2019s word in a way that helps a person grow in Christ.)<\/li>\n<li>Who are the losers when we do?<\/li>\n<li>What do you think about those individuals?<\/li>\n<li>What are the ground rules that a believer is called on to follow?<\/li>\n<li>What is the ultimate reward for being obedient? (1 Timothy 1:12)<\/li>\n<li>What do you want do you want the Father to say at the end of your journey?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>2 Timothy 2:6<\/p>\n<p>The last metaphor that Paul used was to describe a Christian as a hard working farmer. When one thinks about a farmer he is seen as one who:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Works very hard often for long hours each day often seven days a week.<\/li>\n<li>Patiently waits for the harvest to come trusting that his hard work will pay off.<\/li>\n<li>Realizes that the results are not always under his control.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When the harvest came the farmer was the first to benefit from all of his effort. He would provide for those who were his own and then distribute what was left over to others.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>In what ways is the example of the farmer different than a vast majority of Christians today? (They lack the discipline to continue without ceasing)<\/li>\n<li>What are some other ways we fall short?<\/li>\n<li>What comes to the dedicated farmer?<\/li>\n<li>In what way does that type of dedication pay off for the Christian? (He participates with others at \u201cthe marriage supper of the Lamb\u201d written about in Revelation 19:9.)<\/li>\n<li>What one aspect of the description would have been extremely important for Timothy? (To be patient in the face of much adversity.)<\/li>\n<li>What is the common thread in all three of these groups?<\/li>\n<li>What are you willing to give up to gain a reward that is permanent?<\/li>\n<li>What is your primary goal in your Christian walk?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>2 Timothy 2:7<\/p>\n<p>After describing the qualities needed for a follower of Christ Paul had another important piece of advice. Timothy was to give careful attention to and think deeply about the things that Paul had taught him. By doing so the Lord would help him understand all that he had received from all of his mentors and disciplers.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>How might you rephrase the words, \u201cConsider, what I say,\u201d for today\u2019s church? (Heed the teaching of the Word of God by those who have spent their lives studying it.)<\/li>\n<li>What did Paul want Timothy to gain from what he had heard?<\/li>\n<li>What does it mean to gain understanding in everything?<\/li>\n<li>How can we be like Paul and pass on the message of the Bible?<\/li>\n<li>What does it take to do so? (Discipline to understand the Bible in order to be able to share it with others.)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>2 Timothy 2:8-9<\/p>\n<p>Paul had said many things to Timothy. He wanted Timothy to understand that he did not retain another thing that Paul had taught there were two things that he was never to forget. Christ\u2019s resurrection and that he having been born in the line of David was the promised Messiah. Paul had so identified with the living Christ and considered himself only alive in Christ that he believed that the gospel was personally his as he only taught the things of Christ. His hardship had come because of his total commitment to the gospel and he had been put in prison because of sharing the good news with the whole world. The enemies of Christ thought they could stop the spread of the gospel because the most foremost minister of the word was locked up as a criminal and hopefully would be forgotten. Paul had come to a most powerful conclusion. No matter how many people, like him, were imprisoned and executed because of their faith, there was no way possible that the enemies of God could stop the word of God from continuing to be spread throughout the world. A dark, damp and cold cell may keep Paul from speaking but there would be countless others like Timothy to take up the banner.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There is a story of a Baptist minister in of Virginia in the 1700\u2019s who was locked up in the Chesterfield County jail for preaching the gospel without a license. In that day the only ones allowed to preach were the Anglican priests. Being put in jail did not stop John Weatherford from speaking to the crowds that gathered outside of his cell window. The officials made one last attempt to dissuade him from preaching and the people from coming to hear him. They built a brick wall outside of his window. Even that did not slow him down. The people continued to gather and John Weatherford spoke over the wall knowing that his followers would be there. There is one last interesting fact in the story. Patrick Henry, of \u201cGive me liberty,\u201d fame defended the preacher and secured his release. God\u2019s word had not been imprisoned.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>If Timothy forgot all else that Paul had taught him what was he to remember?<\/li>\n<li>In essence what did the command mean? (Timothy was to remember the gospel the good news of Christ\u2019s birth, life, death and resurrection. Paul had already indicated the assurance of a reward to all who followed Christ.<\/li>\n<li>Why was Paul in prison?<\/li>\n<li>What should that have meant for Timothy? (Paul was not asking Timothy to do what he was not willing to do in his own life.)<\/li>\n<li>What does it mean that God\u2019s word cannot be imprisoned?<\/li>\n<li>In what way is the story above an example of that truth?<\/li>\n<li>What then is our responsibility if we are to follow the example of Paul, Timothy and someone like John Weatherford?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>2 Timothy 2:10<\/p>\n<p>There was one reason that Paul was willing to suffer greatly for the cause of Christ. He wanted to reach everyone who was to be saved so they would obtain the salvation only to be found in Christ Jesus. They were would receive eternal glory upon making that decision.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Why was Paul willing to suffer as he did? (It was for the sake of Jesus Christ and all those who would become or had become believers.)<\/li>\n<li>What did Paul mean when he used the term chosen? (Not everyone who heard the gospel would respond. God knew who would respond before the foundation of the world. As they accepted what He offered to them they became part of His forever family.)<\/li>\n<li>What were the benefits to be found in being those who were chosen? (Salvation in Jesus Christ and all that came with it for eternity.)<\/li>\n<li>How do you know that you have been chosen?<\/li>\n<li>What does it mean to you to have eternal security and the rewards that go with it?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>2 Timothy 2:11-13<\/p>\n<p>There was one thing of which Paul was sure. It was the eternal faithfulness of God. For him identifying with the death of Christ meant that he would also live with the resurrected Savior. To remain faithful to Him would one day bring all of His followers to the time when they would reign with Him for eternity. Paul went on to write that God\u2019s faithfulness is not dependent on man remaining true to Him. He will however deny those who turn their backs on Him like some of the people that Paul had mentioned earlier. God is faithful because it is who He is, it is inherent in his nature to be so and He can never deny Himself.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>What do you think of someone who does not remain faithful to you?<\/li>\n<li>How can we know that God is faithful to us? (It is part of the nature of God who is total truth and always does what He has promised in Scripture.)<\/li>\n<li>What would you think of a god upon whom you could not depend?<\/li>\n<li>What are some of the ways that God has shown you that He will never fail you?<\/li>\n<li>What is the one thing that will cause Him to deny that He knows you?<\/li>\n<li>What is the promise Paul wrote about that is guaranteed? (We will live because of the death and resurrection of Jesus that will bring about eternal glory for each of us.)<\/li>\n<li>Why do people turn their backs on a Savior and God who has promised so much?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Understand that discipleship is not an option for you or me. Each of us is called to help another person grow in Christ.<\/li>\n<li>Think about the best way you can carry out the command to disciple someone.<\/li>\n<li>If you do not believe you are ready to do so, look for someone to mentor and disciple you.<\/li>\n<li>Get involved in a small group or a one to one relationship where you can grow.<\/li>\n<li>Memory verses for this week are 2 Timothy 2:2 and 2 Timothy 2:9. The first is a challenge meant for each of us. The second is a promise that should give us the confidence needed to minister to others.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When we focus on what makes a healthy church one of the important factors that must be considered is discipleship. Disciples display certain characteristics that show their dedication to Christ. We have seen some of those in the examples Paul used in this part of Timothy. There were soldiers, athletes and farmers. All three of these exemplified courage, commitment, willing to sacrifice for a cause, self-discipline and self-denial. All of these are imperative in our relationship with the Father and His Son. There is one more aspect to be considered. It is the sharing of the good news we should be acquiring as we learn from others. We are commanded by Christ to disciple others. Only by teaching others God\u2019s word and instilling the need to live like Christ can we expect for the church to remain healthy and viable in society. Our passion is to be a disciple who wants to make disciples so that the next generation will continue the process in successive generations.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Lesson 3 Discipleship the Committed Life 2 Timothy 2:1-13 &nbsp; In his book, \u201cReal Life Discipleship: Building Churches That Make Disciples\u201d Jim Putman has written, \u201cRemember, discipleship happens when we are in relationship with other believers where real teaching, authenticity, accountability, shepherding, and training are part of our lifestyle. It is the responsibility of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2-timothy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=503"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/503\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":504,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/503\/revisions\/504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}