As one of the most bold Christian apostles, Paul spoke fearlessly before crowds as he spread the Good News and planted churches. From debating the philosophers of Athens at the Areopagus to his lengthy preaching in Troas, which caused a man to fall asleep in a window, to his daily teaching in Ephesus, Paul became the greatest missionary of the early Church. His public teaching was so effective that, as the Word was spread throughout all of the Mediterranean, various idol-makers started riots due to large losses in sales.
While Paul may be best known for teaching and preaching before large crowds, this was only one part of his ministry. Paul was acutely aware of the need to connect personally with others on an individual basis. According to 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul declared, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”
Discipleship is more than simply the transfer of information. Although Paul certainly led the most successful content ministry of the ancient world, he recognized that a successful ministry was not based on speaking to larger crowds in bigger arenas. His later letters, which were written from a Roman prison cell, demonstrate that his hope is based on individual persons whom he loves. Instead of speaking about crowd sizes or locations, Paul names his friends, specifically, Timothy, Titus, Luke, and Onesiphorus. In these last letters, Paul reminds us of the importance of intimate relationships. Although most people fully understand this on their deathbed, this important truth is something modern life and modern churches tend to forget.
Sons, not students
Paul reveals his close connection with his two most prominent disciples in his letters. Paul describes Timothy as “my true son in the faith” (1 Tim. 1:2). Likewise, Paul addresses Titus as “my true son in our common faith” (Titus 1:4). This endearing language shows that Paul loves Timothy and Titus as family. While Paul spent time teaching thousands of students across many countries, Paul poured into these two sons in a more personal way, speaking to them as family, not as a teacher.
Timothy and Titus did not become sons of Paul in a classroom, but through shared personal experiences and walking with each other through hardships. Paul found Timothy in Lystra and, after hearing other believers speak highly of him, he took Timothy along with him. Timothy was present throughout Paul’s work, shared with him in the hardships, including beatings, shipwrecks, and church disputes. Timothy was a faithful supporter and friend. Years later, Paul wrote to him, acknowledging that Timothy knew all about his teachings, his patience, his persecutions and suffering, their shared purpose and shared faith. It is worth noting that teaching is but one item on this list. The rest of their shared experiences are based on a lengthy and close-up relationship where they faithfully supported one another.
Importantly, Paul and Timothy’s shared “way of life” cannot be achieved in one day, nor can it grow simply by attending a series of lectures. Timothy did not just learn from Paul’s preaching, he watched him suffer, forgive, pray, work, and stood with him through it all. Paul described this to the Philippians by saying, “I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare” (Phil. 2:20). Paul further acknowledged that “Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me the work of the gospel” (Phil. 2:22). This kind of relationship depends on more than just a curriculum or a lecture series, but requires nurturing by walking through all of life’s ups and downs together.
Four generations in one sentence
When facing death, Paul wrote one sentence that summed up his entire succession plan. Paul commands Timothy to entrust the things he has heard from Paul “to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Tim. 2:2). Despite imprisonment and impending death, Paul does not express panic, but speaks with love and trust in the future of the faith. The critical word in 2 Timothy 2:2 is “entrust” which shares the same root that Paul used for the “good deposit” that Timothy is instructed to guard. This deposit is placed into Timothy’s hands. Paul does not shout this command to a crowd, but passes along this precious instruction to a person who fully understands what it takes to guard and nurture this faith.
A crowd cannot fully understand and receive this kind of entrustment through an announcement. Only a faithful friend can receive such a deposit by walking alongside someone who has exemplified living out the faith. Likewise, each person’s faith must be built by walking alongside another who can demonstrate patience, endurance, long-suffering, and love, as Paul did for Timothy.
Paul does not tell Timothy to preserve the size of the ministry, nor does Paul tell him anything about the location or the brand name. Rather, Paul instructs Timothy to find faithful people and pour into them what Paul poured into him. In modern ministry terms, this strategy may seem too small. However, if each person is honest about their faith origins, we will likely see that this person-to-person connection is the reason each of us became Christians.
Sons become fathers
Paul made an important distinction when he addressed the Corinthians, saying that they had ten thousand guardians in Christ, but not many fathers. To differentiate, a paidagogos is a guardian or household tutor who instructs. A father, however, takes time to mold, form, reproduce, and invest long-term.
Most discipleship efforts never define this finish line. Paul did not disciple Timothy for the purpose of reaching an educational goal of a well-taught Timothy. We can recognize how absurd this sounds. Instead, Paul wanted Timothy to develop the heart and skills to become strong enough to walk out his faith on his own and then become a father himself to other sons. Generations of Christians are proof that previous generations of faithful servants actually ministered and walked along younger Christians. A disciple should not remain a student, but walk alongside more mature Christians to learn how to live out and strengthen their faith.
While crowds are taught through ministry, strong faith is formed through personal relationships.
This brings up a possibly uncomfortable question for any church, which is, is it possible to be creating well-taught guardians who have sound Biblical understanding, yet remain barren of fathers? If the answer is yes, then we must seek to bring in those young in the faith to adopt and mentor as sons.
Jesus and the crowd, the group, the one
Paul learned to father Timothy and Titus through the example laid out by Jesus. The Biblical stories of Jesus are full of descriptions of him teaching crowds, feeding thousands, healing many. However, Jesus was careful about how he distributed his time and his trust. Jesus appointed only twelve disciples. Mark describes “that they might be with him” not only when appearing before the crowds, but in quiet, everyday moments. From the twelve disciples, Jesus drew only Peter, James, and John to accompany him up the mountain of transfiguration, into Jairus’s house, and deeper into Gethsemane. From these three disciples, Jesus took time for only Peter when he told him to feed his sheep.
Jesus had concentric circles of increasing personal connection and entrustment. Although Jesus taught the crowd, he never entrusted them with the future of the faith. The twelve disciples, particularly three, were the individuals with whom Jesus created intimate relationships and shared personal moments. These individuals were then sent to minister to the world. While crowds are taught through ministry, strong faith is formed through personal relationships.
Entrusted formation, not information transfer
The unfortunate irony of the moment is that our modern church has never had more content, or more ways to communicate. Sermons and material can be streamed, podcasted, archived, broadcast, and disseminated in more ways than we could have ever imagined, yet in terms of measuring formation, the church is losing generational depth.
Information transfers at the speed of light or sound. Faith formation grows at the speed of relationship growth.
More information cannot resolve this because weak faith does not depend on information alone. While information transfers at the speed of light or sound, faith formation grows at the speed of relationship growth. Timothy’s faith was not built on access to Paul’s content, neither was Peter’s faith built on Jesus’ teachings alone. Rather, it was access. Timothy’s faith grew over years by following Paul. Peter’s devotion depended on regular time with Jesus.