The disciple's legacy

BULLETIN ARTICLE – 20 August 2017

What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 2 Timothy 2:2

We need to bring the Gospel to the West, Middle East, North Africa and restricted access countries.

“When I am gone, say nothing about Dr. Carey. Speak about Dr. Carey’s Saviour.” (William Carey, 1761-1834). Being a disciple precedes making disciples. Knowing Christ precedes making Christ known. You can’t give to others what you do not possess yourself. You can’t help others experience what you are not experiencing yourself. You can’t show others what you have not seen yourself. You won’t strengthen others by grace unless you have been strengthened by grace yourself. Being strengthened by grace precedes entrusting the good deposit to others.

The Apostle Paul reminds us that passing on the Christian faith is not dependent first and foremost on our strategies. Nor does it rest on our resources or personality. Making disciples is a spiritual task requiring spiritual strength. The strength needed for making disciples is the grace found in Jesus Christ. Paul exhorted Timothy not to be ashamed of the gospel but to share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling not because of our works, but because of His own purpose and grace, which He gave us in Christ Jesus. This grace of God is:

a. The grace that saves us and strengthens us to serve.
b. The grace that transforms those we disciple and keeps transforming us.
c. The grace proclaimed in our ministries and must be prized in our hearts.
d. The grace we point others to and we must run to it ourselves (modelling it).

In the pursuit of making disciples, we cannot rely on past successes and experiences to make disciples today. We need renewed strength and His wisdom to faithfully make new disciples. We need a fresh taste of God’s grace for each moment we serve. The grace that is in Christ Jesus is found in God’s Word, which not only is able to make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus but also to equip us for every good work. Therefore, Paul tells Timothy, “But, as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed” (2 Tim. 3:14). This all seems so obvious, but is all too easy to neglect. It is essential that we be daily strengthened by God’s grace for the task of making disciples for our Lord Jesus.