Pictures of the Disciples We are to Be and to Build

The Apostle Paul, speaking of disciple-makers in the 2nd chapter of his second letter to Timothy, gives seven profiles or pictures that highlight key principles that must typify a DMD, i.e. “disciples who make disciples.” He intended for Timothy to spend some significant time thinking about these lifestyle illustrations, as he admonishes him in 2:7 to "think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything." In this study we will consider four of those profiles and the invaluable insight they give to those who are committed to obeying the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.

In 2 Timothy 2:1-13, Paul gives four metaphors for being and building disciples who reproduce. In this section of scripture, the emphasis is on endurance, and he provides four images to illustrate: a son, a soldier, an athlete, and a hardworking farmer. All convey the idea of being strong, of work, discipline, endurance, and even suffering. He tells Timothy in verse 3 to "share in suffering" or (ESV) "endure hardship" (NIV). He also speaks of endurance in verse 10 to refer to himself and again in verse 12 as an expression for all the saints ("if we endure").

I. Seeing Discipleship Through the Pictures Given Us – 2:1-6

1. The Devotion of a Son – 2 Timothy 2:1

“You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”(NKJV)

What does a good son do?  The word for son in the Greek is the term “teknon” which means “little born one.” Timothy was not Paul’s son by blood, but his spiritual son under the blood of Jesus. Good sons always mature to reproduction, marry, mate and multiply in order to extend the family. He learns from his parent, loves his parent, obeys his parent, and extends the family traits.  And so does a spiritual son.

Let’s consider some of these traits in more detail:

1. A good son loves his parents - Love describes what a true Christian is. They are persons in whom the Holy Spirit, in His passionate, relentlessly pursuing love, has captured their hearts and wed them to Christ as the Lover of their souls. Then out of the internal experience of being personally, passionately and intimately loved of God, they are becoming more and more loving in their character.

2. A good son learns from his parent - The biological family is the first, biggest, best, and most basic learning institution. In the family, we learn to walk, talk, read and write, care for our needs, etc, so that we grow up and reproduce the process. Family life involves very little classroom type learning where the son is made to sit and listen to his parents as they give lectures on basic life skills. Instead class is in session all the time and most of what is learned is caught rather than taught.

The Master's plan for discipleship involves imparting and modeling life, not just teaching some facts about life - it is spiritual parenting. It is modeling, showing, telling, correcting, confirming, supervising and releasing disciples to make disciples who can then repeat the process once more.

3. A good son listens to his parents - Just as in natural parenting, one of the most important skills a son can be taught is how to listen. Good listening means, learning to sit under the truth in order to obey, rather than sitting over the truth in order to pick and choose what suits me.

4. A good son has a likeness to his parent that extends the family traits - Although my earthly father is no longer on earth, his genes are here in me; his son. I am to represent him, reflect him, remind others of him, and reproduce the good family traits in my life and in the life of my offspring. This is especially true of spiritual sons in the faith.

5. A good son lengthens the family lineage - In a biological family, if a father has no sons, his history ends with his death. The same is true in the spiritual realm. But the implications of dying with no spiritual children left behind to reproduce the process has eternal ramifications.

2. The Dedication of a Soldier - 2 Timothy 2:3-4

“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.”

What does a good soldier do?

1. A good soldier forsakes all his own plans to fulfill his assigned duty. When a man joins the military, he gives up his civilian status and is referred to as a soldier. He must now forsake all his personal plans and ambitions in order to fulfill his assigned duty. His life is no longer his own. He marches to the beat of a much different drummer than he did as a civilian. He is now a commanded, commissioned man.

Spiritual sons must commit themselves without reserve to obey their Commander and Chief, the Lord Jesus Christ. Basically, what the apostle is saying is, surrender your options; give up any other objective; burn your bridges. Resolutely follow your Lord. Admit no alternatives. Set yourselves to live a great commandment; great commission type lifestyle wherever you are, whatever you are doing, and refuse all others.

2. A good soldier fervently trains with great discipline and effort - A good solider is always training for war and keeping his mind, body, battle skills and equipment in a battle-ready state. He knows that war is a life or death issue and to be thrust into battle ill-prepared is likely to result in catastrophic defeat. Likewise, a disciple of Jesus must be ever mindful of being in unrelenting, deadly spiritual warfare where spiritual ignorance, mental laziness, and lack of discipline will lead to bondage and fruitlessness at best, and at worst, tragic and eternal consequences at the judgment seat of Christ.

3. A good soldier fights with confidence when it is necessary - In the physical realm, a good soldier doesn’t go looking for a battle, yet when he finds himself forced into one, his training and equipment gives him the courage and confidence to fight victoriously. Even so disciples, as good soldiers of King Jesus, will engage the enemy of their souls with courage and confidence, because they have been trained or discipled by other soldiers, who know from experience, how to wage successful spiritual warfare in the power of the Spirit. A good soldier of the cross fearlessly assaults the gates of hell in order to extend the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 16:18). He does so with the understanding that he is fighting from a position of victory and not for victory because the Captain of his salvation has bound the strongman; Satan (Luke 11:21-22).

3. The Discipline of an Athlete - 2 Timothy 2:5

“An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.” What does a good athlete do? 

1. A good athlete specializes in his game - He applies himself totally to his particular sport and trains rigorously and steadily. He masters the required skills, strives for mental, as well as physical discipline required to win, and does his best to excel. A Christian disciple will do no less in following Christ.

Warren Wiersbe writes, "Too many Christians are too involved in “many things,” when the secret of progress is to concentrate on “one thing.” It was this decision that was a turning point in D. L. Moody’s life. Before the tragedy of the Chicago fire in 1871, Mr. Moody was involved in Sunday School promotion, YMCA work, evangelistic meetings, and many other activities, but after the fire, he determined to devote himself exclusively to evangelism. “This one thing I do!” became a reality to him. As a result, millions of people heard the Gospel.”

Paul's description of the Christian athlete specializing in his game could be summed up with terms like ... single minded, whole-hearted, undivided heart, a person of one mind and singleness of purpose. He writes in Philippians 3:13, “…this one thing I do…”

2. A good athlete exercises for the game - Dr. J. Vernon McGee said regarding many Christian "athletes": "The only exercise some Christians get is jumping to conclusions, running down their friends, sidestepping responsibility, and pushing their luck.” That is not the kind of exercise Paul is talking about."

The principal thoughts suggested by the figure of the athlete are rigorous self-denial and discipline, vigorous exertion, persevering endurance. The Christian life is not a thing of passive luxuriating, but of active “fighting the good fight of faith” The Christian is not called to lie down on flowery beds of ease, but to run a race, and athletics are strenuous, demanding self-sacrifice, hard training; the putting forth of every ounce of energy possessed.

3. A good athlete recognizes the rules of the game - Paul is giving a serious warning! Break the rules and you will not be crowned as a victor in the public games! This should be a divine deterrent to our natural inclination to "take a short cut" when the road of discipleship becomes difficult to run. It is shorter and easier to run across the track, but taking the "easy way out" will disqualify us from the victor's exaltation. The reward once again far outweighs the responsibility.

4. The Diligence of a Farmer - 2 Timothy 2:6

"It is the hardworking farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops."

The emphasis there is upon the word, hard-working. Being a Christian is not just floating through life with God working for you. Rather, it is you working for God, enjoying the privilege of being his faithful servant through whom he does his work today.

Like a farmer, we have to rise up early and work hard in expectation of a harvest. Paul always sets before us that life is not the end of the story, that what we may have to give up here is made up for abundantly when we step out of time into eternity. That is the day for which we labor.

What does a good farmer do? 

1. A good farmer knows that he has been enlisted by the Lord of the Harvest – Matthew 9:36-37, “Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

2. A good farmer is equipped for work by leaders already involved in the harvest - Almost all good farmers learn to farm by the on the job training given by those, usually parents, who were already involved in farming. No one ever becomes a good farmer by getting a degree in agronomy from a prestigious university and then heading straight from the classroom to the fields. Even when they do get such a degree, they must enter the fields and do those things that make for a successful crop.

Likewise, the assignment to make disciples is best learned from those already involved in the white fields of harvest. There is no substitute for on the job, down to earth, practical training by successful farmers in the garden of life.

3. A good farmer employs the laws of the harvest - Galatians 6:7-9, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

2 Corinthians 9:6, “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

4. Enjoys his labor in the harvest - 2:6, “The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops.” 

II. Suffering Hardship to Make Disciples by Remembering the Examples Given to Us – 2:7-13

Remember: Paul did not give this warning because it was something Timothy might easily forget. He said it because Timothy needed to be reminded to keep this in the forefront of his message.

1. To Endure Hardship, Remember Jesus Christ, Our Risen Savior - 2:8 - In 2 Timothy 2:1-13, the apostle Paul seems to have been hammering home a single lesson. From secular analogy (sons, soldiers, athletes, farmers) and from spiritual experience (Christ's experience, his (Paul’s) own, every Christian’s) he has been insisting that blessing comes through pain, life through death, and glory through suffering. It is an invariable law of Christian life and service.

It is this principle which took Jesus the Christ through a lowly birth and a shameful death to his glorious resurrection and heavenly reign. It is this principle which had brought Paul his chains and prison cell, in order that the “elect” might obtain salvation and glory. It is the same principle which makes the soldier willingly to endure hardship, the athlete discipline and the farmer toil.

He has just explained by four illustrations what it means to be and build disciples. A disciple is a son, a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer. Each of these four persons must endure hardship and not quit on God if they are to succeed. In 2:7, Paul says, “May the Lord give you understanding in all things”: Timothy was instructed to see the importance of perseverance, and to receive understanding from the Lord in all these things.

• The son who doesn’t mature, marry, mate and multiply will have no disciples.
• The solider who stops fighting before the battle is finished will never see victory.
• The athlete who stops running before the race is over will never win the race.
• The farmer who stops working before the harvest is complete will never see the fruit of his crops.

2. To Endure Hardship, Remember that God’s Word is Powerful (2:9). Paul’s gospel was the reason that he suffered “hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal.” Then he adds the triumphant note, “But the word of God is not chained or imprisoned.” But God's word is not chained have to be some of the most inspiring words spoken in history. God's people can be put away or killed, but his word cannot be stopped. He is its source; it is his living communication to the world. To imprison it or kill it would require imprisoning or killing God. Ironically, efforts to halt the spread of the message only caused the early church to grow (Act_8:1; Act_8:4). Paul reported, "What has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. . . . Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly" (Php_1:12; Php_1:14). The growth of the church in China from the time of the communist takeover to the present, with even small portions of Scripture scarce, is equal proof of the power of God's Word.
3. To Endure Hardship, Remember that God’s Sovereign Purpose in Saving His Elect will Surely Succeed (2:10). “For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.” Paul means that through his sufferings in preaching the gospel, God’s elect would come to salvation and inherit the eternal glory that is in Christ Jesus. John 6:37, 39: “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out…. This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.”
4. To Endure Hardship, Remember that God’s Promises are Trustworthy (2:11-13). - Paul cites the words of a familiar hymn to remind Timothy that God’s promises are trustworthy and will not fail. He introduces it as a trustworthy statement (there are four others in the Pastoral Epistles: 1 Tim. 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; Titus 3:8). He probably breaks into the middle of the hymn, so that the opening word (“for”) refers back to earlier words that we do not know. It consists of four “if” clauses, followed by their consequences. The first two refer to those who are faithful. They attain to life and reigning with Christ. The last two refer to those who deny Christ or are faithless, and the consequences. The overall point reinforces what Paul has been saying, that if we endure hardship with Christ now, we will experience glory with Him in eternity.

In 1989, Wycliffe Bible translators, Bruce and Jan Benson and their 14-year-old son were driving down a mountainside in the Peruvian Andes. As they came around a switchback, they came bumper to bumper with a truckload of terrorist rebels known as The Shining Path. Men jumped out of the truck brandishing automatic rifles, surrounded the Benson’s car, and ordered them to get out. Jan thought, “This is it! This is the end of our lives.”

The terrorists took them to a nearby town. On the way, fearful and bewildered, Jan felt the need to pray and then to sing. She said, “It began as a trickle, a presence that said, ‘The Lord inhabits the praises of His people.’” She protested, “But Lord, I don’t know how to praise You right now.” “Sing,” came the answer. “At least you can sing.” So she began to sing, “You are my hiding place. You always fill my heart with songs of deliverance. Whenever I am afraid I will trust in You.” Other songs also flowed.

Suddenly, she felt as though she was the only person alive on earth, just her and God. She felt His all-encompassing love and His assurance that He was in control. Nothing, not even death, could remove her from His presence.

That night the rebels unexpectedly released the Bensons, but they confiscated their car, their portable projection equipment and film reels of the “New Media Bible” from Luke, the same film material that makes up the Jesus film.

One year later, the Bensons were living in the capital for safety. Jan received a phone call. One of their captors had become a Christian and wanted to meet with them. When they met, he told them that he was an experienced killer and that he and the others had planned to kill them that night. But, for some reason they just could not do it and released them instead. Then, the rebels set up the projector and watched the film, eventually many times. At one viewing, several hundred rebels were watching and listening to God’s Word in their own language. Many were so moved that they wanted to lay down their weapons right there and leave The Shining Path. Standing before them as a fellow believer, their former enemy said to them, “Please forgive me for my part in what we did to you that day.” The Bensons were able to go back to that village and finish the translation of the New Testament into that language.

God’s witnesses may be imprisoned, but His Word cannot be imprisoned. The gospel “is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16).

Paul’s words to Timothy speak directly to us: Be strong — not in self, but in grace. Endure — not alone, but with Christ. Pass on the gospel. Remember Jesus. Hold fast to His faithfulness.

When life is hard, the mission heavy, or your strength failing - remember this: You are not alone. His grace is enough. His Word is powerful. His sovereign purpose in saving His elect will succeed. His promises are trustworthy!