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Discipleship Focus: Imitation
- Imitation: This is the second over-arching step of the discipleship process. First we gain information, then we imitate our spiritual mentor. Imitation leads to innovation of spirituality in our own life.
One of
the reasons that Paul and Timothy are so famous is because of the relationship
that is between them. They are often
lifted up as the model for the discipleship process. Paul is a strong man of the faith, and he takes
a willing Timothy into his life in order to pass that faith on. As much credit as Paul gets, however, I think
that the true credit belongs to Timothy.
Paul already was a man of faith.
Of course he could pass on what he had been taught by God. Timothy was the one who lived in such a
manner as to welcome Paul’s influence into his life. Had Timothy not been willing to imitate, Paul
would have been able to do very little.
We
actually see this shown all throughout the first chapter of Paul’s second
letter to Timothy. At the very beginning
Paul says that Timothy is his beloved child – a child of faith, of course. Here we see the relationship that Timothy has
embraced.
But it
didn’t start with Paul. Timothy was
already open to the moving of the Spirit before Timothy met Paul. Timothy was open to being taught by his
mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois. Their
faith passed into him and he learned to imitate that faith.
At the
end of this chapter, Paul talks about his suffering. Everyone who openly follows Jesus will
experience persecution in this life.
Paul knows this fact. Therefore
he encourages Timothy to continue to imitate the faith. It is always easy to fall away when
persecution comes. But even in the midst
of persecution Paul encourages Timothy to imitate his faith.
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