Children in the Faith
To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. ~ 1 Timothy 1:2 (ESV)
I always dreamed of having a big family. I grew up as one of three kids and enjoyed (most of the time) having a brother and a sister to play with. I hoped to one day have my own minivan full of family to raise. And God has been so gracious in blessing Corinne and me with five delightful (most of the time) kids!
The Apostle Paul, on the other hand, was single and had no children. He was able to give his full attention to the work of the ministry. I don’t know if Paul had always wanted to be a dad. But God’s path for him didn’t include marriage and family. Yet, even though he didn’t have biological or adopted kids, he did have spiritual children like Timothy.
Paul didn’t lead Timothy to Jesus, but he did take the young man under his wing and mentor him in faith and ministry. Mentoring is one of the oldest Christian practices. We often call it “discipling,” although my spell checker usually flags that as a misspelling of “discipline.” Jesus himself mentored the Apostles. His final instructions were for his followers to go and make disciples, which simply means to mentor people in the faith.
Some Christians hear pastors talk about discipleship, and they get intimidated. We think, “How can I do discipleship without special training?” But you don’t need special training to make a disciple. You just need to show someone how you follow Jesus.
Most of us could easily teach others how to do something we’ve been doing for a while. If you enjoy cooking, you could probably show a less experienced cook how you prepare a favorite dish. If you’re into fishing, you could show a new angler how to target your favorite species. Mentoring someone in the faith is much the same. How do you follow Jesus? How do you live for him each day? What spiritual practices, habits, and rhythms of life help you walk with Jesus?
Amazingly, many of us who’ve been with Jesus for a long time don’t know the answers to those questions! It’s become second nature; we haven’t considered it for years. But with a few minutes of reflection, you could likely list the steps you take with Christ each week. Going to worship on Sunday, reading the Bible and praying daily, giving a tithe, and meeting regularly with others for Bible and prayer are some things on my list.
Think through the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5. Where are you still growing? And how do you work with the Spirit to cultivate those fruits in your life? How does Jesus show up in your parenting? Your marriage? Your finances? Your job?
Now, invite someone into a mentoring relationship and show them how you follow Jesus daily. Plenty of questions will arise along the way, and you will be able to help them take a step with Jesus. Discipleship is really that simple. And it begins with inviting another person into your life with Jesus.
Who is your true son or daughter in the faith?