Submitted by Doc GP Last week we harped on 1Peter 2 v2 on the need for spiritual neonates to desire the sincere milk of the Word of God. This week we will look at 2 Timothy 2 v 2, where the injunction is that believers ought to faithfully teach others what they have learned from…
Last week we harped on 1Peter 2 v2 on the need for spiritual neonates to desire the sincere milk of the Word of God. This week we will look at 2 Timothy 2 v 2, where the injunction is that believers ought to faithfully teach others what they have learned from those who have preceded them in the long train of people who had been entrusted with God’s Words for the purpose of passing these precious truths to others.
Fake Dr Preacher GP consistently promoted the white supremacy racism of Donald Trump which is the Devil’s finest works.
Acquittal in second impeachment exonerated racist white boys and girls from insurrection based on blatant lies by prejudiced false leaders and acquittal in first impeachment condoned collusion with hostile states.
2 Timothy 2 describes spiritual mentoring
The word mentor means “a wise and responsible tutor”—an experienced person who advises, guides, teaches, inspires, challenges, corrects, and serves as a model.
The Bible gives us many examples of such mentorship. Timothy had Paul; Mark had Barnabas; Joshua had Moses; Elisha had Elijah.
In 2 Timothy we learn that Timothy became a believer through the influence of his grandmother Lois, his mother Eunice, and the teaching of Paul (2 Timothy 1:5; 2:2).
Someone has rightly observed that the body of Christ grows through “an unbroken chain of teachers.”
In 2 Timothy 2:2, the apostle told Timothy to become part of an Unbroken Chain that commits precious Bible truths to faithful men who will be able to teach others also about the good news of the Gospel which is meant to be shared.
The “faithful men” Paul had in mind were probably church elders, yet he was expressing a principle that applies to every believer. We had to receive the truth from someone; now it is our gracious privilege and solemn duty to transmit that truth to others.
God teaches us so that we can teach others, and a good way to learn God’s truth is to teach it to others, because learning is enhanced when we share our knowledge with others.
It is very important for us to see a very important principle about discipleship in 2Timothy 2v2- the principle of multiplication.
Jesus entrusted a huge mission to the church, to reach the world for Christ. Jesus in His great wisdom knew that the twelve disciples could not possibly hope to accomplish this by themselves. He knew also that the most powerful way to spread the gospel is through multiplication, and that accomplishing this by addition is too slow.
Jesus knew also that it was far more effective to make two disciples who make two more who continue that process than to simply reach one hundred people for Christ who never reproduce.
And so He devised the most ingenious plan set out in 2Timothy 2v2, that his followers should spread the word of God by faithful men.
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.
There are four generations of teachers in this passage: Paul, Timothy, faithful people, and those the faithful people teach.
“The teacher is a link in the living chain which stretches unbroken from this present moment back to Jesus Christ.
The joy of Bible of teaching is knowing that it links the present with the earthly life of Jesus Christ.
The apostles, including Paul, received the faith (pistis) from Christ and taught the message to faithful men (pistos )like Timothy
Paul called Timothy to faithfully teach others what he originally learned from Paul.
In this way Timothy became part of a long train of people who had been entrusted with God’s Word with the purpose of them teaching it to others, and passing it on to us through a long line of faithful teachers.
The word “entrust” “carries the idea of depositing something valuable for safekeeping.”
The things that you have heard from me among many witnesses
Paul was here reminding Timothy of the body of truth that he had heard from the Apostle in the presence of many others.
Paul was here referring to the doctrines delivered to him, ie the proper form of sound words which he was to teach..i.e the apostolic doctrine (c.f Acts :42)
Certainly, Timothy heard many Bible studies from Paul, and shared much time with the Apostle in personal discipleship.
It may be that Paul was reminding Timothy of a special message he presented at Timothy’s ordination service when, in the presence of many witnesses, he laid his hands upon him (c.f 1Timothy 6:12).
commit these to faithful men
Now Paul tells Timothy to commit or entrust those truths to faithful men in the say way that they were committed to him by Paul.
God did not give ministry to Timothy through Paul, for him to keep, but for him to pass on to others. An essential part of his work as a pastor/teacher was to pour into others what God had committed to him.
Timothy was not to teach others his own particular ideas or theories, but only the simple Apostolic doctrine and example, i.e the things that he had heard from Paul.
Whatever that was poured into him by Paul, Timothy was responsible to pour into others.
The job of training leaders is part of a pastor/teacher’s job description. He should always seek to spread ministry about to others, and to train others to do the work of the ministry.
He should not only train leaders when the need for a leader is obvious; nor should he only train leaders for the needs of his congregation alone.
He should train leaders for the Kingdom of God in general, whether they are used in ministry at the particular pastor’s congregation or not.
One may say that everything that a pastor does in his ministry he should train others to do. There are no duties of a pastor so holy or so secret that he should keep them all to himself.
Who are those that he should invest the most energy in?
Those people who faithfully attend church and small group meetings.
Those people who use their spiritual gifts to serve others.
Those people who faithfully study the Word individually and corporately.
Those people who are disciplined with their spiritual life, work, ministry, and family.
Those people who do not let entertainment and activities drown out their spiritual life.
When the pastor/teacher invests in these types of people, he multiplies his ministry because these are the types of people who are going to share ministry with others.
It is with faithful that he expands their stewardship of both the Word and service to souls.
This is the goal of discipleship.
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