Profile of New Testament Disciple Making (Col. 1)

[disciple]

Chapter 9: Profile of New Testament Disciple Making
(Col. 1:1-2, 1:7, 4:12-13)

- 2 Tim. 2:2—4+ generations of disciples (Paul>Timothy>faithful men>OTHERS ALSO). This requires a strategy for building 3 more generations beyond & through the present disciple. This cannot be accomplished by mass communication (typical approach constitutes only of “spiritual birth” & “spiritual meal times”)

- Col. 1:1, 7—example of 4 generations of disciples (Paul>Timothy>Epaphras>Colossian believers)

I. Paul, the initiator
- God needs someone who lives for the Great Commission and lives in regular, close-up, strategic contact with others (like Paul with Timothy)
- God uses works through disciples to reach people with truth. This is how evangelism, disciple making, & missions work (requires personal interaction with a Christ-like disciple)

II. Timothy, Paul’s disciple
- “Paul and Timothy” (opening of 5 other letters by Paul, in 4 of them it is just Paul and Timothy)
- other examples: Father AND Son AND Holy Spirit; Moses AND Joshua; Samuel AND school of prophets; Elijah AND Elisha; Elijah/Elisha AND sons of prophets; David AND Jonathan/400 mighty men; Jesus AND 12; Barnabas AND Paul; Paul AND Luke/Silas/Epaphras/etc; Peter AND John Mark
- The key question for us when we stand before Christ: who follows your “and”? Paul not only won Timothy to Christ but also trained him (and others) one on one & in small groups, just as Jesus did
- 1 Cor. 11:1—shows 1) our 1st priority is to follow Christ 2) if we follow Christ, other learn more about Christ by following us 3) we must focus people on following Jesus 4) we can only lead people to follow Jesus as far as we are following Him 5) if we stop following Jesus, others should stop following us. Is your life worth copying?

III. Epaphras, a disciple making disciple

- 1:7—The Colossian believers learned about Christ through Epaphras, who was won, trained, and sent out by Paul & Timothy. Gr. “learned” = “emathete,” made disciples of

- Col. 4:12-13: traits of Epaphras
1) Involved in a fellowship of believers (“one of you”)
2) Fully controlled by Jesus (“servant of Christ”)
3) Faithfully prayed for the Colossian disciples (“labors fervently for you in prayer”)
4) Lived an others-centered life (“for you” 2x)
5) Had a clear goal for his disciples (“that you may stand perfect & complete in all the will of God”)
6) Had a far-reaching interest and strategy (those at Colossae, Laodicea, & Hierapolis)

- Illustration of composer Giacomo Puccini: died while working on best composition & asked students to complete it for him; was completed & played by his students (“thus far the master wrote, but then he died…but his disciples finished his work”). We cannot yet state that we have finished His work, but by following the strategy of multiplication the work can be completed.