How do you think the Dead Sea got its name? The saline content is so high that it is difficult to support life. The Sea of Galilee is  approximately 90 miles north of the Dead Sea and it is teeming with life. What makes the difference? The Dead Sea has no outflow except through evaporation so the water is ten times saltier than the ocean, whereas the Sea of Galilee has water flowing out of it. Likewise, your life is designed to have outflow, an expression of the love and light of God to the world around us. The Apostle Paul reveals God’s leadership development plan for His church,

The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (2 Timothy 2:2)

How many spiritual generations do you see in this verse? We see the Apostle Paul was mentoring his protege in the faith, Timothy. That’s two generations, but it doesn’t stop there. Timothy was to entrust this teaching to faithful men. The verb tense implies a sense of urgency. The word faithful conveys the idea of one who can be relied on and, in this context, one who is convinced that Jesus is the Messiah.

The faithful ones represent the third spiritual generation and then these people are to teach others, the fourth spiritual generation. Paul presents a process for spiritual multiplication. We have a responsibility to pass on the faith to faithful people who can repeat the process. This is not an optional luxury but a vital necessity for the church.

Inherent in any credible definition of discipleship is the concept of reproduction. Jesus gave us a model of spiritual multiplication, we are to train others who will train others. Are you intentionally making disciples of Jesus – men and women who are able to teach others? Think of yourself as a link in a chain that extends from the time Jesus to the present. All it takes is one link to fail for the chain to be broken. God is calling you to be a channel of God’s truth, not a reservoir.

Who is your Timothy? You have a responsibility to equip others so that they can pass on spiritual truth to faithful men and women. John Wesley understood the strategic importance of training others, “If I had 300 men who feared nothing but God, hated nothing but sin, and were determined to know nothing among men except Jesus Christ and Him crucified; I would set the world on fire.”

There is an ancient proverb that teaches us to have a long-range perspective, “If you are planning for one year, grow rice. If you are planning for twenty years, grow trees. If you are planning for centuries, grow men.” May God richly bless you as you train and equip others.

Associate Pastor – Discipleship.  The Church at LifePark

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University

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