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Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Discipleship: The Example of Paul

1 & 2 Timothy and Titus, a grouping known as the Pastoral Letters, are some of the most relational books in the Bible. Not only do they contain Paul's advice to Timothy and Titus as they seek to build Christ-centered community in their churches, but they are written by a faithful apostle to men he calls his sons in the faith. The friendships between these men are a beautiful picture of what it should look like to pass down the responsibility of the gospel and equip the next generation for faithful ministry.


Timothy
Timothy was born in the city of Lystra to a Greek father and Jewish mother. Timothy's mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois were both very formative in Timothy's early years. 2 Timothy 1:3-5 speaks of their faithfulness in teaching him the scriptures and building him up in character.

 Timothy's first interactions with Paul likely came during one of Paul's missionary journeys to Lystra where he preached the gospel to a young Timothy. Apparently, Timothy took strongly to the gospel he heard from Paul and grew into a faithful young man of God (Acts 16:1-2). Because of the recommendations of believers from Lystra, Paul decided to take Timothy with him on his missionary journeys (Acts 16:3) where young Timothy suffered alongside Paul, proving himself to be a faithful companion.

Eventually, Timothy became the pastor of the church in Ephesus he and Paul planted. His mission there was to preserve the gospel (1 Tim. 1:3-5), which Paul instructs him to do through his letters 1 & 2 Timothy. 

Timothy was not necessarily impressive in terms of the world. He was shy, physically infirm, and young by the standards of his time (probably mid-thirties). He would not have been our first pick to carry on the work of Paul. However, Timothy exceeded what was expected of him through his faithfulness to God by relying on Christ for all strength and power (1 Cor. 1:26-29 and 2 Tim. 2:1). These are the things Paul encouraged Timothy to continue.

Paul loved Timothy dearly, which is evident from the letters he sent. First, Paul calls Timothy his true son in the faith (1 Tim. 1:2). Paul obviously saw the bond that had been made through Timothy's conversion and ministry with him to be significant, so much so that he thought of him as a son. Second, Paul comes alongside Timothy in ministry, first in his missionary travels and next by instructing him in how to care for his church by protecting the gospel. Although Paul had a lot to teach Timothy, he also valued his younger friend as a partner in ministry (Rom. 16:2). 

The discipleship relationship between these two men ran deep. Philippians 1:1 and Colossians 1:1 tell us that Timothy visited his aging mentor several times during his imprisonments. We also know that the two missed each other terribly when they were apart and longed for the companionship and encouragement of one another (2 Tim. 1:3-4; 4:21). Paul and Timothy show us that intentional and Christ-centered discipling can create powerful bonds that will be used by God for the benefit of both people and, most importantly, for the glory of God and the proclamation of his gospel.

Titus
Much less is known about Titus than Timothy, yet Paul also refers to him as a son in the faith, so he should be considered as another young pastor Paul discipled.

Titus was born as a Greek and became a convert of Paul then joined him his third missionary journey. Titus faithfully served the church in Corinth (2 Cor. 2:12-13; 7:5-7, 13-15; 8:6, 16-24) and he also organized the church in Crete and led them in their early years. While Titus was pastoring the Cretan church Paul wrote him his letter.

We do not know many details about Titus, but what we do know is significant. He worked with Paul as a missionary, he faithfully served the churches, and Paul invested in his life through letters. The book of Titus is an illustration of Paul passing on his wisdom to a leader of future generations of believers, a discipleship model that we should pay attention to and replicate in our own lives and churches. 

Resources:
John Stott's books The Message of 1 Timothy & Titus and The Message of 2 Timothy
Timothy-- Paul's Son in the Faith (The United Church of God)
Titus (Insight for Living Ministries)
The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Titus

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