“and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.”  2 Timothy 2:2

Do you know the difference between a slotted screwdriver and a Phillips?  Do you know the phrase “lefty loosey, righty tighty?”  My son has a remote-control car that takes several batteries to run.  He brought his car to me and said that the batteries were dead, but he couldn’t get them out.  I told him to get my toolbox and we’d fix it.  At this point I could take out the correct screwdriver (a Phillips) and remove the batteries myself, or I could teach my son a valuable lesson.  I showed him the difference between a slotted and Phillips, and I showed him how to loosen and tighten a screw.  He removed the battery cover, and we replaced the batteries.  I learned these things from my dad, and I expect one day my son will teach his own kid.  It will be passed along from generation to generation. 

So many things are passed on like this from one person to another.  We expect to learn from others in the classroom, on the job, or from the pulpit.  But how often do we pass on to others what we’ve learned?  What exactly should we share? 

The most important message we can share with others is the gospel of Jesus.  In the New Testament, Paul lived to share the gospel and to make disciples.  Making disciples is simply passing on the Gospel to others who will then pass it on to even others.  Jesus commissioned the church to “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).  Jesus passed the Gospel onto the disciples who then passed it on to the early church who passed it on to us today.  How well are we passing it on to the next generation? 

Paul instructed Timothy, one of his disciples, to entrust the gospel to faithful men who will be able to teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2).  There is a key relationship in this verse between the discipler and the disciple.  Paul, the discipler, has shared the Gospel with Timothy and trained him to teach others.  Timothy has learned the truth of God’s Word and how to make disciples from Paul.  Now Timothy is expected to make disciples of others becoming a discipler himself.  Do you know how to make disciples? 

2 Timothy 2:2 reaches multiple generations.  Paul passes it on to Timothy who passes it on to faithful men who will pass it on to others.  This continues to multiply like ripples from a stone thrown into the water.  But what if one of these faithful men didn’t do it?  What if one of them let work, family, entertainment, excuses keep them from passing it on?  We must be intentional to pass the Gospel on to others who will pass it on as well. 

Church we are called to make disciples who make disciples. 
Who is training you to make disciples? 
Who are you teaching to make disciples?