2 Timothy 1:1-7: Making an Impact

2 Timothy 1:1-7: Making an Impact

Please turn with me in your Bible to 2 Timothy 1. If you’re using one of the Bibles we provide, that’s on page 834. This morning, we’re starting a sermon series that will take us through this letter passage by passage. And today we’ll be looking at 2 Timothy 1:1-7. To give you a little bit of background, the Apostle Paul wrote this letter to his young protégé Timothy while Timothy was leading the church in Ephesus. And this is actually the last letter we have from Paul. He was in prison as he was writing it and expected his imprisonment to result in him being killed for the sake of the gospel. And that did happen—Paul did indeed die as a martyr. So this letter really contains some of Paul’s last words to one of his dearest friends. 

So let’s look at what he says in 2 Timothy 1:1-7: 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus, 2 To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3 I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 

Over 100 years ago, a man named C. T. Studd wrote a poem in which the following two lines are repeated at the end of every stanza. And I believe these two lines are just as relevant now as they were the day he wrote them. They read, “Only one life 'twill soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last.” “Only one life 'twill soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last.” Now, if you do a little reading on C. T. Studd, you’ll discover that he didn’t just say those words—he lived them. Studd was a missionary in the 1800’s first to China, then to India, and then finally to Africa. But before he was a missionary, he was actually a very famous cricket player for England. Cricket was a very popular sport in England, and C. T. Studd was very good. And his talent actually won him international fame even beyond England. But he became convinced that God was calling him to do something other than play cricket—that God wanted him instead to be a cross-cultural missionary. To put it in some of Studd’s own words, “I [knew] that cricket would not last, and honour would not last, and nothing in this world would last, but it was worthwhile living for the world to come.” So Studd packed up his bags and left for China, and then, I like I said, he would later go to India and Africa as well, where he ended up dying on the mission field—just like so many other missionaries of the 1800’s. So Studd took his own words seriously. “Only one life 'twill soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last.”

And I’ll be honest: his words really speak to me. Because the reality is that life is indeed so short. We’re here one moment and gone the next. All the stages of life go by so quickly. And whenever I think about that, it makes me want to make sure that I use my life in the wisest possible way. I want my life to count for something. I want to serve Jesus faithfully by doing what he’s called me to do during my brief time on this earth—and what he’s called me to do is, of course, making an impact on others with the gospel. I want to make as big of an impact as I possibly can. And if you’re a Christian, I hope you have that desire as well. 

Yet that raises a very legitimate question: how exactly can we make that kind of an impact? What specific approach should we take if we want our lives to have the greatest possible effect on others? And that’s where this passage in 2 Timothy comes in. Paul’s words to Timothy in these seven verses give us a valuable glimpse into the way in which Paul went about making an impact. And the best part is that you don’t have to an apostle or a Christian superstar like Paul in order to do what Paul did. Here in this passage we see that Paul’s ministry focused on discipling carefully chosen individuals such as Timothy. That’s the main idea I’d like us to see here. Now of course, Paul’s ministry also focused on sharing the gospel with non-Christians. That’s a whole separate topic for another day. But today, we’re going to focus on what we see in this passage, which is Paul’s focus on discipling carefully chosen individuals such as Timothy. 

And the reality is that all of us should be doing this. In fact, we’re commanded to do this. In Matthew 28:18-20, that we quote at the conclusion of every church service, Jesus tells us not just to be disciples but to make disciples. Now, just to be clear, in order to make disciples, you do first have to be a disciple. You have to have come to a point in your life where you recognize that you’re a sinner who deserves God’s judgment and that the only way you can be rescued from your predicament is through Jesus. You have to believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay for your sins and rose from the dead to secure your salvation and then put your trust in him as the only one who can save you. We see Paul referring to that fundamental necessity when he says in verse 1 that his ministry is “according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus.”

However, after you’ve embraced the gospel and become a disciple, you should want to express your love and gratitude toward God by making other disciples. I’ve heard it said that “the gospel came to you because it was going to someone else.” We’re called to pass on this amazing gift we’ve received. And the way we do that is, first, to build relationships with those who are far from God in order to share the gospel with them, and then, second, to form discipling relationships like the one Paul had with Timothy. And here’s what I mean by “discipling relationship.” A discipling relationship can be defined as a relationship in which one Christian actively and intentionally helps another Christian grow toward spiritual maturity. Let me repeat that: it’s a relationship in which one Christian actively and intentionally helps another Christian grow toward spiritual maturity. And again, this is the way to make an impact. If you want to make as big of an impact as you can with the life God has given you, this is the way to do that. And there are four elements or ingredients of a discipling relationship that we see in this passage and that we’ll spend the rest of our time talking about. 

A Meaningful Relationship 

The first element that we see is, not surprisingly, a relationship—and, more specifically, a meaningful relationship. Just look at all of the indicators we see in our main text of how meaningful a relationship Paul had with Timothy. In verse 2, he refers to Timothy as “my beloved child.” It doesn’t get much closer than that. That’s how dear Timothy was to Paul—as dear as son would be. Then Paul says in verse 3, “I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.” That’s a lot. Timothy was definitely on his heart. Then in verse 4, Paul states, “As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.” So we can see that both of these men had a deep desire to be together. Then in verse 5, Paul says, “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.” So it seems like Paul knew a lot about Timothy, including his family and family history. And all of this is very significant because it shows that quality discipleship doesn’t happen from a distance. It happens in the context of a meaningful relationship. 

A Godly Example

And we see why this relational element is so crucial as we move on to the next element of a discipling relationship that we see in this passage, which is a godly example. The reason you need to have a meaningful relationship with someone in order to disciple them effectively is because the main way they learn from you isn’t by hearing what you say but observing how you live. Your life is the greatest teaching tool you have. 

We catch a glimpse of the godly example Paul set for Timothy in verse 3, where Paul writes, “I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience….” So Paul’s life was focused on serving God, and that was something he did “with a clear conscience.” That means there was nothing in his life that stood in the way or that contradicted his commitment to serve God. Paul then gets more specific about the godly example he set in 2 Timothy 3:10-11, where he says to Timothy, 10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me…. So Timothy had not only become extremely familiar with Paul’s life but had imitated Paul’s life and followed his example. That’s the way people learn. 

You can also see this principle at work when it comes to children learning from their parents. The main way children learn is by observing what their parents do and then imitating that. For example, I’m sure most of us who have kids have seen them, as young children, going around the house wearing our shoes. I mean, their feet might be this big while the shoe is this big, but despite the enormous difference in size, this still want to wear our shoes for some reason. Also, another thing they imitate is what they hear us say. A couple of weeks ago, my four-year-old son Silas kept saying that he could “barely contain his excitement” about different things. He must have said that four times in the span of an hour. So when it was time for snack, he enthusiastically said that he could “barely contain his excitement.” Then again, when it was time to go out somewhere, he’s like, “Guys, I can barely contain my excitement.” Where did he learn that phrase and why was he using it so much? Well, apparently, it was something he heard us say and he was just imitating what he heard. That’s what kids do. That’s how they learn. And that’s still the way people learn even when they become adults. Aren’t you glad that your doctor didn’t just read a bunch of textbooks and take a bunch of multiple choice tests before receiving his or her medical license? So why would we think that learning Christianity is any different? Again, your life is the greatest teaching tool you have. In fact, I’ve even heard it said—and heartily agree—that “you can teach what you know but you reproduce who you are.” “You can teach what you know but you reproduce who you are.”

So what does all this mean for you as a disciple-maker? Well, first, make sure that you yourself are following Jesus and have a life that’s consistent with the gospel. Not that you have to be perfect, since that’s obviously impossible, but you do at least need to be striving to live a life worthy of being imitated. Also, once you’ve selected someone you’d like to disciple and who seems like they’d desire that as well, start spending regular time with that person. Build that meaningful relationship. And as we’ll talk about a little later, that typically involves some sort of weekly meeting. Of course, a discipling relationship entails more than a weekly meeting, but usually not less. And we’ll talk more about what that meeting should look like in a few moments. 

Regular Encouragement

But first, the third element of a discipling relationship—in addition to a meaningful relationship and a godly example—is regular encouragement. In verse 5, Paul says to Timothy, “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.” That’s a wonderful example of Paul building Timothy up and encouraging him by pointing out evidences of grace in Timothy’s life. You know, it’s difficult to overstate how powerful and impactful it can be for someone to receive a simple word of encouragement from a person they respect. I won’t ask for a show of hands, but I bet a significant majority of you here this morning can remember specific things that people in your life that you respect have said about you. I remember when the pastor of our sending church down in Alabama was announcing to his church that they would be sending Becky and I up here to start a church in Pittsburgh, he said to the congregation that God’s anointing seemed to be on me. And I don’t know why, but that simple statement just seemed to stick with me and was such an encouragement to me that I remember it even now, over five years later. We remember the things that people we respect say about us. 

And many times, those simple words of encouragement will motivate us and give us the confidence to do a lot more than we would otherwise do. I remember one day I was in one of my seminary classes, and the professor, Dr. Beougher, asked to speak with me privately after the class was over. And in that conversation, he told me that I had done an excellent job on my research paper and asked whether I had considered pursuing a PhD. And I responded that the thought had never really entered my mind. So he told me that I should think about it and that, in his estimation, I had what it took to complete the program successfully. And looking back now, that conversation was the key catalyst that led me to pursue and eventually obtain my PhD. And the reason I share that story is simply to tell you, don’t underestimate what a simple word of encouragement can do for someone you’re discipling. 

Biblical Instruction

Then the fourth and final element of a discipling relationship that we see in this passage is biblical instruction. In verses 6-7, Paul writes, 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. So in these verses, we see Paul reminding Timothy to live out his faith and do what God’s called him to do—fanning into flame the gift of God. And the basis of this reminder is the biblical truth that “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” So Paul tells Timothy to do something and then explains the biblical truth behind what he’s telling Timothy to do. Likewise, in our discipling relationships, we should be providing the person we’re discipling with a steady diet of biblical instruction. And here’s what I mean by that phrase “biblical instruction.” I mean four things. Number one, teaching them what the Bible says. Number two, reminding them to put into practice what they already know. Number three, helping them see areas for improvement. And number four, correcting them when they deviate from the Bible. All of these things are involved in biblical instruction. So here’s what that means for discipling relationships. When you meet with the person or people you’re discipling, your meetings should be times where you’re engaging the Bible together. You should be gathered around the Word of God or, as one pastor named Robby Gallaty likes to say, getting into the Word until the Word gets into you. 

Conclusion

So as promised, here’s what a typical meeting might look like. Now what I’m about to outline isn’t some sort of requirement or mandate. This is just what I’ve personally been doing with several guys in the church and have found very helpful. And just so you know, I rarely have a meeting where I hit all of these questions I’m about to list, but these are the kinds of questions and discussion topics that regularly come up.  

After beginning the meeting with prayer, we often talk about how life has been going lately. Sometimes this leads to a very meaningful discussion about an issue that comes up, and sometimes it doesn’t. Then the main component of the meeting is discussing what God has been teaching us in our personal devotions during the past week—our personal times of prayer and Bible reading. So first one of us will take a turn sharing and then the other will take a turn since we’re usually reading two different things. And the things we share are usually based on journal entries from throughout the week. I’ve found that writing a brief journal entry when I read the Bible helps me get a lot more out of my reading time and also gives me something to refer to in the discipleship meeting. Then after that, we’ll typically recite any Scripture we’ve been memorizing. For example, right now I’m memorizing the book of Ephesians, so when I get together with some of the guys in different meetings, I’ll recite my passage and they’ll recite theirs. And having that accountability spurs all of us on to memorize Scripture much more faithfully than we would if we didn’t have that accountability. After that, we’ll ask agree-upon accountability questions related to personal struggles in life or anything that we want to keep an eye on. So this is the time to discuss things like the health of your marriage if you’re married or a struggle with pornography if you have that or whatever topics you would like accountability for. And then one thing that I think is especially important to discuss at the end of the meeting is whether you’ve had any gospel conversations during the past week or if you’ve even tried to reach out to a non-Christian in any way. Then you can spend some time praying for the specific individuals you’re trying to reach out to as well as for any other needs or issues that came up during the meeting. 

Now again, this whole outline is just a suggestion. You don’t have to follow all of this. And you probably won’t have time to discuss all of these things in depth every single meeting anyway. I would recommend discussing your personal devotions in every single meeting, but perhaps you might decide to rotate through the other questions from one meeting to the next. So as you can see, these meetings give a lot of attention to the Bible. Again, we’re getting into the Word until the Word gets into us. 

And I’d like to encourage every single Christian in the room to start doing this. Seek out a discipling relationship with someone and start meeting together. You know, as I’ve been thinking lately about the direction of our church and about the areas in which our church needs to grow, I think this might be the area where we have the most room for improvement. And that’s my fault more than anyone else’s. But as we prepare to enter this New Year, this is an area in which I’d like to see us get stronger. The Lord’s really helped me see lately that our church needs to focus on two things: evangelism and discipleship. And I think we’ve made great strides toward being faithful in evangelism, but I think discipleship and specifically discipling relationships have been rather neglected. Hopefully that can change in 2020, and we’ll be rolling out several initiatives to help that change. 

But for today, again, I’d just like to encourage every single Christian in this room to start doing this. For those who are more established and mature in the faith, take the initiative to look for those who are younger in the faith and start discipling them. Put into practice the things you’ve heard me talk about this morning. Pursue discipling relationships in which you’re actively and intentionally helping other Christians grow toward spiritual maturity. 

And for those of you who are younger in the faith, don’t wait for a more mature Christian to approach you. You take the initiative to look for someone to disciple you. Find someone who you think you can learn from and start spending time with that person as much as you can, perhaps even in a weekly meeting if they’re open to it. And also, even as you’re doing that, remember that you also are called to be a disciple-maker, even as a young Christian. Now you might be wondering how in the world you could ever disciple someone else. Perhaps you’ve never viewed yourself as a disciple-maker and just don’t think you have what it takes. But keep in mind that if you’re genuinely striving to follow Jesus, all you have to do is share what you do know, not what you don’t know. For many of the people around you in your day-to-day life, that means sharing the gospel. And then with other Christians in the church, that may mean simply sharing anything God’s been teaching you lately and encouraging them and praying for them. You can do that, regardless of how young in the faith you are. And then, the day will come when you’ll stop having weekly meetings with the person who’s discipling you and you yourself will be the one leading weekly meetings with someone else. And let me just say that day will probably come a lot sooner than you’re thinking. 

And lastly, my prayer for all of us is that we would have the same heart and the same ambition for our lives as the Apostle Paul had for his. That ambition shines through quite clearly in our main passage in 2 Timothy as well as in another passage that I’d like to read for you: Colossians 1:28-29. Paul writes, 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. Do you have that ambition for your life? Do you want to use your life to make an impact on the people around you by sharing the gospel with them and then helping them grow toward spiritual maturity? Let me remind you again that we have “Only one life 'twill soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last.” Think about that as you set your priorities and plan your schedules.