Community In Discipleship

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Happy fall.

Only get to say that one time.

Amen.

Well, turn your Bibles to 2 Timothy chapter 1.

2 Timothy 1 · chapter mention

We're continuing our tribe series.

Got one more week, and then in just a few weeks, we're going to be kicking off a study in the book of Daniel that'll take us through till Christmas season.

All that's coming, and it's kind of hard to believe, but here we go.

Want to say to a couple of people.

One, uh, Pastor Dave be in prayer for him.

He's preaching at a homecoming service, but he had a birthday this week.

So you have to text him and bother him about that.

And uh then another gentleman who is here, Harry Duro, had a birthday this week.

Where's Harry at?

He stepped out.

He did that to me on y'all's anniversary.

Well, anyway, tell Harry he looks great for 58.

And so, uh, but he's celebrating a birthday as well.

So, 2 Timothy chapter 1, and uh, we're studying today community and discipleship.

2 Timothy 1 · chapter mention

There's been a lot of debate in churches in recent years about which hill is the hill that you would die for.

Would you be a church that is evangelistic in nature?

Would you be a church that is discipleship modeled?

And I want to tell you that the theme of the Bible, 10 words, Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead.

Okay, that's the theme.

And at CCW, we don't look to one hill or the other.

We are both.

I want you to hear something, though.

God is not interested in a bunch of biblical scholars consuming biblical information that grow a big fat biblical brain that can't fit inside the church that don't reach out to people.

He's also not interested in us having a big, huge, full church with shallow Christians.

So we study, and we did a study on that that ended in Colossians called Rooted.

If we get deeper, we should get wider.

And so, because we're understanding this book and we have to understand this book, then we should, in theory, want to reach out to others to talk to them about discovering the truths of this book.

And so we want to impact people.

So we disciple in order to win more people so that we can disciple and win more people, so that we can disciple and win more people.

And that discipleship brings God glory.

Everything that we do at CCW falls under those two banners.

It's about evangelism and discipleship.

So we're in a tribe, I submit this morning to you to be discipled and to be a discipler.

I have a question for you.

How many of you, by raising your hand, would say, I have been biblically discipled by a mentor, by a discipler, somebody who sat with me and walked me through scriptures that helped me in my Christianity.

I have been biblically discipled in that way.

Raise your hand up if that's you, okay?

I'm not talking about a Sunday school class.

I'm not talking about a small group.

I'm talking about a person on person.

So we had a lot of hands go up, and there were a lot that did not go up.

And so when we think about discipleship, I want you to look at it from that lens, and we're going to look at one of the great biblical examples in Timothy and Paul's relationship.

Let me pray.

Father, I pray that you would bless us this morning with your presence.

Help us, God, to understand what you put in the great commission to the disciples.

God, that we must continue on discipling.

And I pray that as we see this relationship, that we would understand what is needed as we walk about this world, as we have jobs, as we have families, as we fit in different parts of our tribe, and how important discipling is.

God, pull our hearts to that truth.

God, I pray that you would uncover maybe some people today that would move forward and being more impactful to disciple people.

Lord, help us understand your word today in Jesus' name.

Amen.

In 2 Timothy chapter 1, let's look at verses 2 through 5.

2 Timothy 1 · chapter mention

The first point as we do is Paul celebrates Timothy's faith.

Look at what it says.

To Timothy, a beloved son, grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy.

When I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois, and in your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded, is in you also.

So we see the celebration of Timothy's faith.

Letter A, we see a beloved son.

In verse 2, he said to Timothy, My beloved son, there's a strong relational tie in this letter.

In fact, maybe we don't see as much emotion from Paul to any other letter that he's written to somebody.

He says, My dearly beloved son.

And then he says something interesting, I think it was verse 4, as I remember your tears, he's pointing out that's a phrase that points to and refers to Timothy's profound grief that Paul had been imprisoned.

So there's this longing to reunite, to be back together, and Paul shares that, to be in fellowship with him.

Why is this particular relationship so impactful?

I want you to turn your Bible to Acts chapter 16 for a moment, just for a point of reference, to understand their relationship.

Acts 16 · chapter mention

Where did Timothy and Paul unite?

Where did this come from?

Acts chapter 16, verse 1 through 3 says, Then he, Paul came to Derby and Lystra, and behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed.

Acts 16:1–3

Interesting, underline this, but his father was Greek.

He was spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium.

Paul wanted to have him go on with him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in the region, for they all knew that his father was Greek.

It says here, we come to understand that Timothy believed, but it is highly likely from this passage and from the point that Paul points out his mother and grandmother, Lois and Eunice, but does not mention his father, it's pretty likely that his father, being Greek, was not saved.

We're not told that, but it looks like that.

It points to that.

And so we see this relationship that could have had a spiritual missing, a spiritual missing link from father to son, where Timothy's able to look to a spiritual father in Paul.

Well, we say in the business world, data drives decisions.

That data would say when a father comes to Christ, it impacts.

Small group statistics that I went over Barna research this week.

When a father attends, just a father, 55%, talking about small groups, of children when they're out of the house will attend small groups.

If only a mother attends, 15% of the time, children will one day attend small groups.

If both mother and father attend small groups in their church body, 72% likelihood that a child will follow in that pattern.

And so understanding if data drives a decision, that means we need to make a decision to grow godly men.

Understanding the waitingness for us, listen to me, parents, of child discipleship.

That's one part of this today.

You probably taught your child how to ride a bike.

Probably taught your child how to tie their shoelaces.

Weston has his own pattern.

I can't even explain it to you, but at least they're getting tied.

You probably taught them how to mow, or you've taught them how to bake, or you've taught them how to change a tire.

Many today are really, really dedicated in having their children learn sporting lessons.

Hours swinging a bat, hours with training of pitching, hours with basketball training, hours with these sports.

We knew a guy who would drive.

He took charge in his family of one particular daughter.

The mother took the other two daughters, and this gentleman would drive from Connorsville, Indiana to Indianapolis, which was an hour and a half drive one way every day, so that they could have a softball lesson.

A lot of time being invested in a sport, a lot of time teaching.

So this is what I know, parents, you're invested in teaching.

There's a grave need, and I want to tell you, grave, and it's fleeting, the opportunity that we have to open up this book, listen to me, next to our child, and say, listen to me.

This is how you understand the word of God.

And you open it up and you read and you talk about that word of God with your child.

Grave and fleeting is the opportunity that's before us to disciple.

And then what do we do?

We show them as well.

We be adults filled with the fruit of the Holy Spirit because it's one taught, but it's other caught.

And so they see a life that's worth emulating.

We show and tell.

And so we see this relationship between Paul and Timothy.

Not biological, but a son in the faith.

And so we see that beloved sonship.

Letter B, we see a bond of sincerity.

Look at verse 5.

He says, When I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you.

When somebody thinks about you and me, oh, that they could be a marker in them to remember the genuineness of our faith.

Paul recalls the sincere faith of Timothy.

In the King James Version of the Bible, it's unfeigned.

And that word unfeigned means in the Greek anapocaritos.

Anapocharitos is a faith without hypocrisy.

Imagine the heart and the letter from his teacher.

Your father in the faith, who is also currently imprisoned, is celebrating your faith in his letter.

Church, I want to tell you there's a generation today that needs encouraged.

They need to hear encouragement about their faith.

He said, Timothy, in a world full of facades, you're a real one.

You're the real deal.

Not only that, but he goes on to celebrate.

Not only you are the real deal, but your mama and your grandmom.

They were the real deal too.

I remember them and their faith.

I bet Timothy read this letter, and I bet he couldn't keep the tears immediately.

He says, Man, your faith.

And he's celebrating his heritage.

You see, a discipler is an investor of men.

Hebrews 3.13 says this: exhort one another every day as long as it is called today.

That none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

And so we encourage, as part of this church body, you encourage, you lift somebody up so they're not hardened.

And so we desire to exhort.

He says, You're sincere.

Your faith is genuine.

That's a marker of a fixed position.

Timothy was sincere.

He was fixed.

Y'all remember seeing pictures or growing up seeing TV shows and seeing the Queen's Guard at Buckingham Palace?

I got a picture here.

Remember seeing these guys?

The Queen's Guard has to stand in a fixed position.

They're able every 10 minutes to go left or right in a 10-step march and come back, but other than that, they're at attention, their eyes are forward.

They cannot respond to you talking at them, joking at them, prodding at them.

They can respond to tactics and shoot.

But other than that, they have to stand at their guard, eyes fixed forward.

Paul said, Timothy, and you've got that Queen's Guard type of faith.

It's unfeigned, it's unflinching, it's unmoved.

You're the real deal.

Can you imagine what that meant from his mentor?

Weston, uh, it's been a few months ongoing, but he got some cards, Pokemon cards off of Amazon.

And he was sure that some of these gold level cards were really valuable cards.

You know, he spent$19.99 or something for this stack of stuff on Amazon.

And he's like, Dad, I've been told there's a couple of cards in there.

Maybe a hundred, maybe, maybe five hundred dollars or more.

And I'm like, okay, son, sure.

Yeah.

And I'm not one to like crush him, but I'm like, you know, listen, if it, I say this a lot too, if it seems too good to be true, right?

It probably is.

And so I'm like, well, we got to do this thing.

So the yellow hammer place down there, the card sport card store.

I'm like, look, we we're gonna go one day.

So finally he bugged me and we're gonna go.

And so we go to the store, we take his binder full of cards and this other, you know, hodgepodge of cards in his pocket and stuff.

I'm like, hey, I'll try to give him some tips.

I'm like, put some of those in plastic.

We'll see if we can fool them, right?

Make them look important.

So we take them to the guy and he's pulling them out one by one, and he's very quiet, just looking through him.

What's the look?

Oh, looking at his face, just baited, brother.

Oh, he just can't wait for his thousands.

They're about to come in.

And the guy's like, well, he pulls another card out and he's like, I got something to tell you.

And he pulls this other card out.

He said, You see this one over here?

This is yours.

He's like, feel it.

So he feels it and he says, Feel this one over here.

He said, He said, All of yours are fakes.

Oh man, I'm telling you, almost instantaneously, it looked like his face was turning red, tears were about to come, and I'm like, Look, I had to be here to teach this boy this important lesson, right?

And so he found out that all these cards were a fake.

And you know what?

It was almost, look, it was the effort was almost over until I swayed him and I said, It's okay, Weston, let's come over here look at some cards.

You can get some basketball cards.

Dad can be the hero.

And so who got had that day?

Not Weston or the guy behind the camera.

I did.

Because I left there with$15 less buying some basketball cards that are probably worth about three bucks.

And then look, I almost bought this forest gump.

Y'all gotta see this thing.

Look, it was$30.

They almost really had me.

I was looking at that is cool, and it comes with a ping-pong racket.

But look, look, look, them fakes, them fakes did nothing for my son.

Hear this.

Paul, who was undoubtedly the greatest missionary in history, and who was part of writing probably 13 of the 27 New Testament books, said, Timothy's the real deal.

Can you imagine what that felt like?

That'd be like Billy Graham coming.

You know, well, he's in heaven, but it'd really be amazing.

And saying, listen, y'all, Rick's a good preacher.

And so he heard from Paul, he said, I remember your sincerity.

Timothy wasn't the type of guy to have an agenda.

It was about God's agenda.

It wasn't about his name or comfort, just eyes fixed.

Well, the second thing this morning I want you to see is Paul coaches Timothy's faith.

Look at verse 6 and 7.

He says, Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift, sounds like coaching to me, of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

We see even in verse 6, fanning the flame by prayer.

He says, I've been praying over you.

He's coaching him, and he gives him two really important coaching tips in this letter.

Number one, letter A, is do not be afraid.

He says, Don't have the spirit of fear.

Do not be afraid.

I want to tell you today seven signs of fear in your Christianity.

Number one, if you're questioning God's love, signs of fear.

Number two, if you're avoiding church, God's house.

Number three, if you're avoiding Bible reading.

Number four, if you're avoiding relationships, getting close to people.

Number five, if you're consumed with worry.

Number six, if you're seeing compromise in your life for sin.

It's a marker of fear.

And number seven, if you're having difficulty in worship, it's drumming it up.

There's signs of fear.

Fear defined as an emotion caused by belief that something threatens.

It's an emotion caused by the belief that something is threatening to us.

And I want to tell you, based on what Paul says here, I believe fear is a choice.

He said this, Timothy, you don't have the spirit of fear.

No, Timothy, you have the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, you have not been given fear.

He said, You are Tim, not timid.

Planet Earth is a fear-filled fellowship today.

I want to tell you, church.

We have something called pantophobia, people that have fear of everything.

We have words now.

You can't turn on the news, the political world without hearing terms like fear-mongering, which is the deliberate arousal of panic without any real issue.

It's happening.

It's constant.

By the way, this is not something new in biblical terms.

It's the same demon wrapped in a different package.

Fear has been sent out and sent out.

If you look back in history, at Hitler's days, fear is something that's been used and abused often.

It diminishes our courage, fear does.

It steals our peace of mind.

It affects our ability to trust.

It confuses our calling.

It ambushes our rest.

Fear is a debilitator.

And Satan knows you can't be particularly effective as a disciple if you're paralyzed by the fear of the consequences of what it looks like to live a real Christian life.

It's paralyzing.

And so Paul says, Timothy, don't be afraid.

He said, God has not given you a spirit of fear, but power, love, and a sound mind.

If you're a Christian today, church, if you're a Christian, God has given you the power of the Holy Spirit, not the fear spirit.

It's the Holy Spirit, not the worry spirit.

We believe in this church, hear me, we believe in the Holy Spirit.

This is a big church word.

I want you to jot this down.

It's pneumatology.

As we get deeper, we understand pneumatology is just this the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the triunity of God, God the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

And the Holy Spirit came as a marker.

A Christian is spirit-filled.

And that was important truth from Paul to young Timothy.

Why?

Interesting.

From Old Testament to Pentecost, there had been a substantial shift in the operation of the Holy Spirit.

In the Old Testament, people act like the it's just New Testament.

In the Old Testament, there's over a hundred times where the Holy Spirit is mentioned.

And as early as Genesis 1 2, it says, And the Spirit hovered over the face of the waters, Genesis 1 2.

And so the Holy Spirit has been present for all of time.

But the function transformed.

Because Jesus said, I must go.

And when I go, the Father's going to send another.

And he said, it's going to be another that comes greater in scope.

I've always thought this is an interesting passage.

He said, greater in scope.

What does that mean?

How could something be greater than Jesus?

And what he means to say there is not greater in power, because Jesus took On the form of a man was he was on earth, and so authorized his own manness, his own humanity, and so he could not be everywhere at all times, but the Holy Spirit that was going to come with all power can live and abide in every believer.

So, in scope, the Holy Spirit and function was going to come.

And in Acts 1.8, he said that, but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and all parts of the earth.

And then in Acts 2.4, the Holy Spirit fell.

And so that happened.

And I want to tell you, Paul disciples Timothy, and he says, Don't be afraid, because you're going to have a different spirit, not a fear spirit.

Fear is a flesh problem.

That's a different spirit.

But this special discipleship relationship, he says, you don't have to be afraid, Timothy.

I've gone through all that I went through.

And he goes on later to say, and I'm not ashamed.

Paul said he'd been beaten and shipwrecked, stoned.

He says, don't be afraid.

Well, we see another time in Scripture where this special relationship is seen.

I want you to turn to Deuteronomy chapter 31 for a second.

Deuteronomy 31 · chapter mention

Another special son in the faith relationship was between Moses and Joshua.

Moses, the outgoing commander of Israel, Joshua, the incoming.

And of all the things, as Moses was sort of passing the baton of leadership to Joshua, he could have said, Listen to what he does say in Joshua or in Deuteronomy 31, 7 and 8.

Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it.

And the Lord, he is the one who goes before you.

Do not fear, nor be dismayed.

So we see again in this coaching, in this discipleship relationship, Moses says to Joshua, Don't be afraid.

There's a part to coaching people.

All of you that have been coaches, raise your hand if you've coached anything, a sport, anything.

Often you're trying to show somebody something that they didn't know that they could do.

And you're trying to instill in them that courage, that bravery, that spirit of not having fear.

I had up until 2020 an unbelievable streak.

I don't want to brag, but from 1992 to 2020, I went to an amusement park every year of my life.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

I know that's impressive.

And then everything hit and happened, and so since fourth grade, and then I became a youth pastor, and look, look, they would look, they would give me a paycheck to go to theme parks and take kids with me.

It was awesome.

But my streak was broken, and I was thinking about all those times, and we just went recently.

But one time that was really funny, I got to the point where I was looking for humor in the theme park.

I can go on a roller coaster and about fall asleep.

I mean, it's just, I used to could.

Now I'm starting starting to mess with me in a different way because of my age.

Okay.

Anyhow, well, one time there was this girl named Toria that was getting in line.

She did not want anything to do with roller coasters, and finally I convinced her to get on a roller coaster and we're walking to the Batman ride.

And as we're walking up there, I get this plan in my mind, and I'm kind of coaching her through what it's gonna be like.

We sit down and I and I don't pull, and I say, You gotta pull the thing down, buckle.

And she gets in tight and she's sitting there nervous, and I'm sitting there and I go, I didn't let the thing come down, and I jump out of the thing about 10 seconds before the guy comes in, and I said, Something ain't right.

I can't ride it.

And I go off, and Tori is looking at me, she's like, What?

What?

The thing takes off, and she goes, Why did you do that to me?

And I was like, I just want to show you that you could do it.

I just wanted to show you that you could do it.

Well, just this week, uh, or last week we went with the youth group, and Weston was there with me.

And uh he's finally about the size where he can get on some roller coasters, and there were a lot of them different clothes, but what the Batman ride, same ride, was open, and uh he's going through the line with me, and I, you know, obviously I'm nicer to my own child.

So I'm encouraging him and I'm coaching him, and he's like asking me how the loop is gonna be, because he hadn't been on a loop before.

I'm like, man, it's you know, it's gonna be fast.

But we get up there, and what I was really concerned about was his height, because we get up there, and you know, you know, it was close.

And he got up there and I said, I said, Wesson, if you got to stand on your tiptoes.

So he goes like this, and the guy had the thing, and just as he was pulling it over, he hit that tiptoe and it hit his hair.

And she looked down, he went like this, and we got on.

It was fine.

But I was thinking about that opportunity there, and just I said, Weston, it's okay, you don't have to be afraid.

It's gonna be fun, it's gonna be here and it's gonna be over.

But I think with me being there, he wasn't afraid.

I want to tell you, church, Christianity is offensive to the lost.

Don't be afraid.

Christianity can be unpopular to people, don't be afraid.

It means standing for truth that sometimes people don't like.

Don't be afraid.

It means standing for widows and orphans and unborn.

Don't be afraid.

It means standing for the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman.

Don't be afraid.

Preaching that hell is real, don't be afraid.

Paul said, Timothy, there are going to be a lot of things to face.

Don't be afraid.

It's interesting when I take Pastor Joe or Eli with me and visit.

I act more boldly because I'm discipling these young men.

And there's things that I may have passed on an opportunity, but I got people watching, and it's interesting.

I don't want to be afraid because I'm enabling and teaching.

And so there's things that I'm sure that I do better because they're with me.

You see that relationship.

Paul is coaching his faith.

He says, Don't be afraid.

Look at verse 8 through 12.

Second thing he coaches him is, Don't be ashamed.

That's letter B this morning.

He said, Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.

But has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, to which, listen to this, I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

For this reason I also suffer these things.

Nevertheless, he says it again, I'm not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed in and persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him until that day.

He says, Timothy, don't be ashamed.

That word ashamed is epi, and that is about position, and the second part to that is I know, and that's to dishonor.

He says, This position of dishonor, don't be ashamed.

It's not a dishonor, the testimony of the Lord.

This is not a dishonor.

As men may paint Christianity as you open up your newsfeed or turn on social media, it's painted a certain way by Hollywood.

It is the antithesis of dishonor, Christianity.

It's the most distinct privilege a person can be given.

There's no shame in testimony that Christ died for our sins and rose from the grave.

That's a shout it on the hilltop type of honor.

I've been to a few games in which people have high-fived me because a ball player hit a home run out of the park, a person that I never knew, home run, and we celebrated united because our team and high-fived, and we clapped and we shouted, and I'm gonna tell you, I'm not ashamed to root for my team.

Listen, we celebrate hitting a ball and we celebrate a shot being made.

What does it mean to recognize Christianity and celebrate salvation?

Paul said, I'm in prison.

I'm in chains and bonds over this thing, and I'm not, I'm not ashamed.

You know why?

Because it means knowing that Jesus gave everything.

He was whipped, he was mocked, he was spit on and nailed to a cross, he was tortured.

And hear me, the biggest miracle in human history was when a living Jesus not raised Lazarus, but when a living Jesus was murdered, went into a grave, and after three days, that dead Jesus raised his dead self from the dead and walked out of a grave alive.

We can celebrate a lot of things, but I want to tell you today.

Jesus is alive and he rules and he reigns.

And I'm not ashamed.

Not ashamed of Jesus.

I look for an opportunity to talk about him.

Do you?

That's why I don't have to be afraid.

Because Jesus came to bring the gospel, and that gospel truth is one day when my life's over, because of my relationship with him and what happened on the cross, I have eternity to gain.

So what do I have to be afraid of on earth?

One day I'm going to heaven.

The very worst that can happen to me on earth is temporary pain.

One day my life is over, and whether it be cancer, whether it be a disease, whether it be a car wreck, whatever it is, that's it here.

But I'm gonna have eternity in heaven.

What do I have to be afraid of or ashamed of?

Heaven's my home.

I don't know what you're going through, but one day we get to see Jesus face to face.

And the gift here is getting closer to closer to him face to face.

I have nothing to be ashamed of.

Now, Paul doesn't say Timothy.

When you become a Christian, you're not gonna have hardship.

Look at 2 Timothy chapter 2.

2 Timothy 2 · chapter mention

In fact, he tells him sort of the opposite.

Now, one day in eternity, there's gonna be no hardship, there's gonna be no pain.

But Paul doesn't cookie-cut with Timothy in his letter.

Look at verse 3 of 2 Timothy chapter 2.

2 Timothy 2 · chapter mention

He said, You therefore must endure.

You are gonna endure.

As he wrote, Pan from prison, you must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.

He compares it to being a soldier in a battle.

No, he says, endure hardship.

Go through hardship.

Without fear and without shame, you go through it.

And because you go through it, Christian, you have the opportunity to be a testimony to a world around you.

He says, Hard things, hear me, church, hard things are normal things.

We need to bring up some young men and some young women, some teenagers that know how to deal with hard things so they don't come unraveled in their 20s and say, Ma dad, what are we gonna do?

The car broke down.

My life is over.

I've got an unexpected bill.

Like hard things are normal things.

I um I was taught this, I didn't develop myself, but the premarital counseling program that I take couples through, in order for me to marry you, I have to take you through premarital counseling.

And I gotta be honest, it's pretty in your face.

And I was the first time that I went through the course and understood, I was told the goal of this course is to is to make people not want to be married.

I thought, wow, that's hard.

They said, because if they cannot be married, then they should not get married.

But if they get through this and all the conversations that it brings, they should be married.

And so I thought, well, okay.

And then I looked at the topics of week one.

Week one topics for premarital counseling, in-laws and sex.

Hello, woo.

Okay.

Week two is gonna get better.

Money and communication.

I had two couples.

First of out of the first five, two of the first five didn't get married.

I walked them through, and it was a good thing.

Hard things.

Listen, sometimes in marriage and life, you need to have hard conversations.

If you're dating someone looking toward marriage, you better have the hard conversations.

So Paul says to Timothy, endure hardship.

Hardship is okay, Timothy.

You just gotta face it.

He says, Man, you're gonna have to man up.

But you're a real one.

You're genuine.

You got this.

And he says, endure.

The third thing we see, Paul charges Timothy's faith.

Look down at verse number 13.

He says, Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me in faith and love, which are in Christ Jesus.

Letter A is this disciples' duty to doctrine.

What is discipleship all about?

Well, what do you even do, Pastor?

I hear that term.

What are we even talking about, discipleship?

Discipleship is about digging in doctrine.

It's about, he said, hold fast the pattern of what?

Sound words.

What words?

The words of the word of God.

I said earlier we have this fleeting moment with our children to open up the word of God and show them what it means.

You have an opportunity with people in your life to show them and talk through the word of God with them.

That's discipleship.

Now there's different forms of it.

Jesus is our pattern.

Jesus taught in large crowds.

Okay?

And I have no doubt in my mind that it didn't just have to be one.

Jesus could teach 5,000 and teach them in doctrine, and they could grow in their discipleship.

He taught in large crowds.

He taught in smaller crowds.

But let me tell you what he continued in.

Jesus always had the 12.

For the three years of his mission trip, once he got on go, he always had the 12.

And he walked with the 12 and he served with the 12.

On the road to opportunity, he taught the 12.

The 12 were his connect group.

Amen.

Sunday school.

He had his group of people and they were on mission.

He was always teaching the 12.

His small group.

I used to say all the time in youth ministry, there's no way I'm going to disciple more than 12.

I ain't trying to outdo Jesus.

And so Jesus had his 12.

Well, you know what else he had?

There was his 12.

But within the 12, Jesus had an inner three.

There was an inner circle, Peter, James, and John, that Jesus paid even more specific, special attention to.

Interesting.

Paul had Barnabas, John, Mark, Silas, and Timothy.

It's a group within the group.

So I have a question for you today.

If you say, well, I believe in discipleship, who's your twelve?

Who's your three?

Now, if you have children, that's part of it.

But who else?

Who are you discipling through God's word?

Intentionally planning, intentionally marking on your calendar to meet up, intentionally making phone calls.

Not just, well, it happened because we got together and you're discipling.

I don't think Jesus just happened to fall upon information to teach the disciples.

I don't think that's how it went down.

He was serving with them, he was going toward an opportunity, and he shared the word of God with them.

So who's your 12?

Who's your three?

Who do you talk to about the Bible?

He said, Hold fast to doctrine that's teaching and discussing the Bible and how to apply the Bible in life.

So when you meet up with someone, what does the Bible say about marriage?

What does the Bible say about your work?

What does the Bible say about your parenting?

We believe in fellowship here at the church.

But fellowship with discipleship is better.

Fellowship with the Bible is better.

I love to get together with the church.

I love the church family.

I mean, I love to play games, I love to play sports.

Fellowship is important.

But fellowship with the Bible is better.

Discipleship involves teaching the word of God.

Well, look at 2 Timothy 2, verse 15.

2 Timothy 2:15

Could have used this earlier when we talked about shame, but he says, study.

What do we do?

Disciples do to the doctrine, study to show thyself approved unto God.

A workman, a discipler, a disciplee needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

So you want to be not ashamed before God, Paul says, Timothy, study the word and then divide it.

Study it and divide it with someone else.

Taking scripture apart and dividing it with somebody.

It's literally what we do in connect groups.

We have questions pulled out from the scripture and we discuss the scripture.

We're dividing the truth.

He says, you won't be ashamed.

Now that's if he says, if you study.

That's a big if.

If you're studying, you won't be ashamed.

The Bible says, always be ready to give an answer.

He said, Timothy, study.

If I can coach you and tell you anything, he says, study the word.

Study.

If you stay in the book, Timothy, the book will stay in you.

The Bible says, Thy word have I hidden my heart that I might not sin against thee.

It'll keep me from sin.

The Bible says of itself, it's a lamp unto my feet and a light into my path, and will guide and direct my decisions.

Look over there at 2 Timothy chapter 3, verse 15 and 16.

2 Timothy 3:15

Well, let's start in verse 14.

Holding fast, what does that mean to doctrine?

But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

And it says about all scripture, it's given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction, and righteousness.

Letter B is this.

The disciple's duty to disciple.

I want you to look at 2 Timothy 2, verse 2.

2 Timothy 2:2

It's our duty to continue discipleship.

It's not an option that's given from Paul to Timothy.

I want you to hear me, church.

It's not a Christian option.

It's not, should I think on this?

Should I maybe do this?

I've got a lot of gifts in other areas.

Look at what it says.

And the things that you have heard from me, verse 2, 2, 2, and the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

So take these things and then commit them to others so that this Christianity continues.

And when I'm far gone, when Paul's out of this cell and when he's gone in heaven and he looks down at Timothy, he said, Timothy, you got to think about the day that you're gonna be done.

And you gotta commit these things to someone else who's gonna do it too.

Well, all of that got me thinking about a relationship God gave me.

I don't know, it's been 15 years ago.

I met a young man named Joe Daniels.

He'd been freshly saved and changed by the power of God.

And I asked Joe if he would come this morning before I close and just share for a moment what discipleship has meant in his life.

Can y'all hear me?

Y'all good?

Y'all hear me?

He said I got about 25 minutes for Thomas.

Alright, alright, we're good.

Uh yeah, so um when Pastor was uh asking me, you know, to speak, I was just kind of thinking of a couple things when it comes to discipleship, and uh the moment I got saved, um he didn't leave me to my own.

Um and I I've seen where people get saved, and all right, good, now go be a Christian.

And then nobody's there.

And so we have these books that we go with the teens, and um he just kind of walked me through what does it mean to be a believer?

Um, how do I grow in my relationship with Christ and and what he, you know, maybe didn't say, but uh in the time that he was discipling me was like the most crucial time in my life.

Like I could have gone one way or the other.

Um I was, you know, in a uh rough situation.

My mom was in prison.

I was living with my brother and his dad, and we weren't getting along.

And uh so through that that time, I just remember having Rick to lean on.

Um and I would have said he would have been like a father figure, but we're kind of close in age, so he's more like a uncle, an old uncle.

Um But uh I I remember like he in every like important moment in my life, like he was there.

Um, you know, when I got kicked out, he was there.

Um when I met my wife, he was there, you know what I'm saying?

And he just would always like coach me through things.

And you know, early on in my my relationship with Christ, and most of us probably say this, but I just wasn't doing the right things.

Um and I remember him not giving up on me and him walking me through things and having hard conversations.

And talk about you know his message about being fearful.

Like there was times I didn't want to talk to him because I knew he was gonna give me the word.

I knew that he was going to walk me through and and it was scary, but um, some of the best conversations I've had in my life and the hardest parts of my life was with Pastor Rick, you know.

Um, and I remember there there was a moment where just being afraid of the consequences of my sin and him just telling me, like, oh yeah, you messed up, but I still love you, and I'm not gonna give up on you.

Even if you decide not to be in ministry one day, like I'm for you and I'll always be for you.

And so um, you know, Rick's been just uh an awesome man in my life.

He he's been a Billy Graham, a live Billy Graham in my life.

Um and even when we weren't, you know, doing ministry together, um, I remember anytime he would take a long drive, I'd get a phone call from him.

Like, and it would just be at the the craziest times of my life where I just needed to talk to him.

And the last thing I'll say is before I came here, um, things were going on at this church I was at, and I remember who can I talk to?

I'm like, I can talk to Pastor Rick.

So I called him up.

Like, man, I don't know what to do.

And he just walked me through like the most Christian way to love my my previous pastor through a heart situation.

And as any good pastor would do, he called me here, and I've been here for three years now, and it's been the best situation, and so man, we got a good guy, and uh, and let's give him a round of applause, man.

What I wanted you to hear there was not God gave Joe to me, and it was a gift.

And uh if you get to do anything on earth that you see can last, you've done something that really matters.

And I, you know, Joe came to my youth group because he liked a girl.

And Joe has continued in his faith walk, and God's allowed us to be a part of seeing teenagers turn into young adults and God working their life.

And and the picture I wanted you to understand was so you need to pray about discipleship and ask God to send you a person to disciple.

And when they do, I want to tell you the time frame is not six weeks, six months.

Discipleship is for life.

And I think about the parallel of Elijah and Elisha, and I want you to hear this.

So Elijah, in the latter part of his life, had Elisha, and it seems to have bolstered his faith.

He had somebody to pour into, and all of a sudden, Elijah, who might have been aging or tired or weary from the track, all of a sudden has like a second wind.

Because he's got somebody to invest in, and he sees that God could do this more and more.

And so it's not just about the person who's discipled.

I want to tell you, it's for you and me too.

Before Jesus ascended to heaven, church, there was one crescendo, one final word to his disciples, one last battle call, three years of miracle and mission, three years of love and teaching and bloodshed and sweat and tears.

He had discipled the disciples on the road to serve, and even in his death and post his death and his resurrection, he taught.

And all the things that he could have said, the last earthly thing that his earthly voice, he could have said anything.

He so eloquently taught with authority, and so I want you to picture this is no tiny moment, this is a weighty moment, this is a moment full of gravity.

And the message that he gave to the disciples is a message that he wanted us to hear today, and this is what he said.

He looked at the disciples in their eyes before he was to rise off and meet his father in heaven, and he said, This disciples, go and make disciples of all nations.

He said, Go and make disciples.

He says, Church disciples make disciples who make disciples.

So every lady here, hear me, should be discipling a young lady, a younger lady.

And every man here should be discipling a younger man.

I want to close as we pray, and I want to ask you this question: who's your twelve?

Who's your three?

Who's your one?

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